On The Selection And Exploration Of Radio Powerful Active Galactic Nuclei

One of the fundamental questions in astronomy is how galaxies form and evolve through cosmic time. For the past few decades, various teams have been trying to answer this question through the construction of computational models for simulated galaxies and their associated active galactic nuclei (AGN). With the next generation of telescopes currently developing survey strategies with a strong emphasis in exploring the early Universe (e.g., Athena in the Xray, and SKA in the radio regime), it is of the utmost importance to explore the predictions from state-of-the-art galaxy formation and evolution models, in particular at the Epoch of Re-ionization (EoR). This project will look to implement improved recipes for radio emission, taking into account the most recent advances in our understanding of black hole accretion physics, together with current models for SMBH and galaxy evolution (e.g., EAGLE, GALFORM, Millennium). With these recipes, we will define new, more efficient criteria for the selection of AGN from radio observations out to very high redshifts, allowing us to identify and analyze robust candidates for high redshift radio AGN in very sensitive surveys currently being performed (e.g., SKA Pathfinder and MeerKAT). This will allow us to optimize the design of the upcoming generation of whole-sky radio surveys, currently being developed for the future Square Kilometre Array telescope. In parallel, this project will implement a monitoring campaign of nearby AGN, using the Santa Maria radio telescope, part of the RAEGE network. This will complement the above approach, by setting the framework to further explore the physical mechanisms behind AGN radio emission, as revealed by AGN variability. Here, the project will aim to perform a census of AGN monitoring efforts being made worldwide, in order to identify the best strategy for this program. We will also identify the impact of variability studies in the AGN accretion physics and evaluate how this can lead to improved recipes for radio emission.