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Meet the People at the BHI

Richard Anantua

BHI POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW ALUM; Assistant Professor
UTSA College of Sciences
Astronomy, Physics

Biography

I am a theoretical and computational astrophysicist focusing on modeling relativistic plasmas in the vicinity of black holes. With the first horizon-scale images of supermassive black holes in the giant elliptical galaxy M87 and in our own Galactic Center taken by the Event Horizon Telescope, I analyze a wealth of polarized emission data in the extreme regime of strong gravity linking Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity to electron-positron thermodynamics of jet/accretion flow/black hole (JAB) systems. Inputting novel models into general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations, I work to uncover the fundamental phenomenological processes governing active galactic nuclei and relativistic jets.

I am also an active leader of outreach initiatives such as the NSBP/SAO EHT Scholars, partnering the National Society of Black Physicists with the Smithsonian Astronomical Observatory. This union of diverse future astrophysicists and an established research collaboration is a scalable model for partnership for years to come.

Honorary Affiliate: Stephen Hawking

In Memoriam

Former Honorary Affiliate

Dennis Stanton Avery and Sally Tsui Wong-Avery Director of Research, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge Physics

Learn More About Stephen