Active galactic nuclei (AGN) drive powerful, multiphase outflows into their host galaxies which are expected to play a key role in galaxy evolution. However, exactly how small-scale accretion disc winds couple to the ISM to drive these outflows remains an open question. In this talk, I will discuss our AGN in Clumpy DisCs (ACDC) simulations which feature a physically-motivated AGN wind model embedded in an idealised galaxy disc with a resolved ISM, manually distributed in a clumpy substructure. We find that the hot wind causes the cold ISM clumps to fragment and become entrained in the outflow as small cloudlets. Mixing between these outflow phases produces X-ray emission on kpc-scales which could be detected above the level from star formation with telescopes such as Chandra or AXIS. I will also present early results from the SANGRiA (Simulated Absorption of Neutral Gas for Radio Astronomy) project, where we have forward-modelled galaxies from the SIMBA simulation to compare to 21cm HI absorption results from the ASKAP-FLASH radio survey.

Bio: Dr. Samuel Ward is a Flatiron Research Fellow at the Center for Computational Astrophysics since October 2024, working with the Galaxy Formation group. His research focuses on the impact of supermassive black holes on the evolution of their host galaxies. He uses predictions from cosmological and idealised simulations to compare to multiwavelength observations to help understand the interaction between outflows from active galactic nuclei and the multiphase interstellar medium. Samuel was awarded his Ph.D. from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) in 2024, while working between the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and Newcastle University. Previously, he obtained a master’s degree in physics and astronomy from Durham University.