Dr. Vaidehi Paliya

The launch of the Fermi gamma-ray space telescope about a decade ago has revolutionized the field of high-energy astronomy. Coordinated multi-wavelength observing programs supporting Fermi science, using both ground and space based observatories, have enabled us to explore the physics of the active galactic nuclei (AGN) population that host closely aligned relativistic jets, i.e., blazars. This includes the multi-band variability, accretion-jet connection, jet launching mechanisms, and the cosmic evolution of relativistic jets. Additionally, the emergence of a new population of gamma-ray emitting sources, narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxies, have provided, for the first time, a rare glimpse of relativistic jets launched from young AGNs hosting low-mass (<1e8 Msun) black holes. In the seminar, I will highlight (i) recent findings and challenges thrown open by these new multi-frequency observations, (ii) the efforts that need to be adopted to improve our understanding about jet physics and (iii) upcoming initiatives in the international scenario that will lead to breakthrough discoveries associated with jetted AGN.