Universe illuminates as lights turn on

Observing the brisk crowds navigating Massachusetts Avenue from her spot in MIT’s student center, Dominika Ďurovčíková harbors a singular desire.

“What I really wish for is to persuade a city to dim their lights entirely, except for essential places like hospitals, for just an hour,” she shares. “Allow people to witness the Milky Way or the stars. It has an impact. It makes you realize there’s more to life than your everyday challenges.”

Despite her extensive experience in exploring the universe, including pursuing a PhD with professors Anna-Christina Eilers and Robert Simcoe at MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, she remains convinced of the power of gazing up at the night sky without aids.

However, most of the time, she relies on far more sophisticated tools. With the James Webb Space Telescope furnishing valuable data from the outermost reaches of the cosmos, Ďurovčíková is focused on spotting distant quasars. These ancient, gigantic black holes emit intense light, offering crucial insights into the early universe, especially when located at greater distances.

“These entities are incredibly bright, allowing us to study the universe from immense distances,” she notes. “They serve as beacons from the past that remain visible, providing insights into the universe during that era. It’s akin to archeology.”

Her recent research delves into the Epoch of Reionization, marking the period when radiation from quasars, stars, and galaxies permeated the hydrogen clouds from the Big Bang, making space visible.

“Reionization represented a phase shift where the space around galaxies turned transparent,” she explains. “Finally, we could observe light that was previously absorbed by neutral hydrogen.”

Part of her focus is unraveling the triggers behind the reionization process. While the timing of reionization is roughly understood, numerous mysteries encircle the Epoch of Reionization, and Ďurovčíková aims to address some of them through her quasar investigations.

“The broader hope is that understanding the timing of reionization can shed light on the catalysts behind it,” she remarks. “While we’re not there yet, scrutinizing quasars could be instrumental in this quest.”

To understand the vast expanse of cosmic time and distance…

High-redshift quasars have captivated Ďurovčíková’s interest. Redshift, indicating the decrease in a wave’s frequency, helps unearth the light’s travel duration and its distance from the source, considering the universe’s expansion.

“Higher redshift values lead closer to the universe’s inception,” elucidates Ďurovčíková.

Studies pinpoint reionization emerging about 150 million years post-Big Bang, with the full ionization of the “intergalactic medium” transpiring around 850 million years later.

In her recent study, Ďurovčíková investigated 18 quasars where light commenced its journey between 770 to 950 million years post-Big Bang. Collaborating with researchers from four countries, they categorized the quasars into three distance-based groups to compare neutral hydrogen levels at different epochs, refining reionization’s timeline.

“The current narrative suggests that by redshift 5 or 6, the galaxy-interfacing material was predominantly ionized. However, discerning the star or galaxy type responsible for this universal phase shift remains elusive,” she adds.

Parallel to her research, she plans to delve into the origins of these quasars, questioning their early formation and gravitational forces, pondering if other growth-shrouding factors hinder accurate estimation of their life spans.

“These colossal black holes seem excessively massive for their purported ages,” she ponders. “Are there obscured growth facets impacting our evaluations? We’re exploring various metrics to gauge their longevity.”

While delving into astrophysics and inspiring the next wave of explorers…

Currently fostering the forthcoming cadre of astrophysicists, Ďurovčíková underscores how her supportive parents and mentors steered her towards uncharted academic pathways, leading her to launch Encouraging Women Across All Borders, a nonprofit aiding global students.

“Throughout your journey, numerous doors will present themselves,” she notes. “Some are open, some shut, but the real tragedy is overlooking undiscovered possibilities.”

Hailing from Slovakia, where academic paths were limited to Bratislava or Prague, Ďurovčíková’s passion for mathematics and physics triggered enrollment in the International Baccalaureate program. It was within this program that she encountered an influential educator, Eva Žitná, initiating her trajectory towards a master’s program at Oxford.

“The IB program sparked my exploration of unforeseen horizons,” she recalls. “Conversations with Žitná and my parents paved the way to consider novel possibilities.”

Sharing the wonders of the universe with eager learners, Ďurovčíková values those pivotal moments of awe…

Concurrently as a co-director for the MIT Astrogazers, she orchestrated moments of cosmic appreciation. Her memories from distributing eclipse glasses at the Cambridge Science Festival resonate, witnessing the amazement on faces of children and adults alike as they beheld the skies.

“My drive stems from the fact that daily tribulations often consume us,” she reflects. “From congestion to transit troubles. Yet, an upward glance unveils the grandeur of the universe, dwarfing these trivialities.”