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By Mark Ivan C. Roblas, S & T Media
Service
A Department of Science and Technology-Science
Education Institute (DOST-SEI) scholar-graduate is now making waves
in the international astronomical world after leading a team that
discovered the largest number of supermassive black holes in the
centers of galaxies in the universe.
Reinabelle Reyes, a PhD student at Princeton
University and a BS Physics summa cum laude graduate (2005) of the
Ateneo de Manila University, led a team of Sloan Digital Sky Survey
(SDSS) scientists that discovered a large number of “hidden
quasars” that are shrouded in light-absorbing dust and gas.
Reyes’ team found some 900 hidden quasars,
which is by far the largest find ever.
“We discovered that hidden quasars make up at
least half of the quasars in the nearby universe, implying that most
of the powerful black holes in our neighborhood had previously been
unrecognized,” she said.
Reyes said the discovery shows that powerful
black holes are more common in the last eight billion years of
cosmic history than had previously been thought. It also shows that
the relative number of hidden compared to normal quasars indicate
how the appearance of dust and gas determine the presence of a
hidden quasar.
“The large number of hidden quasars we
discovered implies that most of the light emitted by quasars is
actually obscured. Moreover, because the light from these hidden
quasars previously had been unaccounted for, black holes turn out to
be more efficient in converting the energy of in-falling matter into
light than we had thought,” she said.
Reyes’ team presented its discovery in January
9 at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society in
Austin, Texas. The research team has submitted a paper describing
the research for publication in the Astronomical Journal.
Reyes said their project is the culmination of
the graduate thesis work of her co-author, Nadia Zakamska, a
long-term postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study,
under the supervision of Princeton professor Michael Strauss.
Dr. Ester B. Ogena, Director of the DOST-SEI,
said Reyes’ professional success is a vivid example of the high
quality of Philippine scholar-graduates the country produces and the
vast potential the Philippines has in space science.
“We hope that our students are inspired by
Reyes, pursue a career in the sciences and add to the roster of our
great astronomers and space scientists,” she said.
Reyes urged students to venture into astronomy
and astrophysics and pursue a fruitful and fulfilling career path in
the sciences.
“Go for it—astronomy and astrophysics are
rich and exciting fields that offer plenty of opportunities for
young scientists. Master the basics, keep up with the latest
discoveries, don’t stop asking questions—and finding answers,”
she said.
The DOST-SEI has laid the groundwork for a
Philippine Space Education Program (PSEP) following a designation by
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization-Paris to act as focal point for its space-education
program and related UNESCO activities in the Philippines. It aims to
promote science and technology, particularly space science, to
Filipino students.
The PSEP also seeks to engage the Filipinos in
space science and technology.
Likewise, the PSEP aims to create higher student
awareness of career opportunities in the various fields of science
and engineering.
It also aspires to establish linkages and
partnerships with space organizations and institutions.
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