Khushi Karthikeyan
Ardsley High School
Ardsley, NY
The Supermassive Problem: Probing Potential Stellar Formation Pathways of Intermediate-Mass Black Holes
Khushi Karthikeyan, 18, of Ardsley, utilized a series of detailed black hole simulations for their Regeneron Science Talent Search space science project.
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Supermassive black holes, like the one at the center of our galaxy, are the easiest for scientists to find because they emit so much radiation. But these detectable black holes all grew from the more mysterious intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), which are harder to study but no less important.
For their project, Khushi found a potential source for IMBHs in a class of massive, ancient stars with unusually low amounts of metals, which could allow them to form black holes of especially large sizes. Using open-source space simulation software, Khushi tested their hypothesis in a series of virtual experiments. The results suggest that huge, metal-poor stars could explain the current sizes of some supermassive black holes that we can observe. This concept offers a possible origin for our own galaxy.
The child of Hrishi Karthikeyan and Kapila Juthani, Khushi attends Ardsley High School, where they enjoyed Latin class so much that they serve as president of the Dead Language Society club. Khushi is also a varsity fencer.
Beyond the Project
As a peer teacher with the nonprofit organization TeachForth, Khushi conducts free weekly computer science lessons for students in Jamaica.
FUN FACTS: At school, Khushi co-founded a Dungeons & Dragons club and revitalized a Latin club called the Dead Language Society.
