Tatevik Mkrtchyan
PhD student
I am a PhD student studying Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) across cosmic time under the supervision of Dr. Chiara Mazzucchelli. I am interested in identifying AGN through Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) fitting, studying the Circumgalactic Medium around high-redshift quasars, and LSST AGN-science.
Projects
- During my studies, I developed a method to select high-redshift quasar candidates using custom-made SED fitting code (available on my GitHub (https://github.com/dathevik/qso-bd-selection)) for the 4MOST Chilean AGN/Galaxy Evolution Survey (ChANGES). This resulted in selecting around 3,000 high-redshift quasar candidates that 4MOST will observe.
- My second project focuses on quasars with powerful radio jets at z>3.6, using VLT/MUSE data. I have completed the data reduction and analysis, investigating Lyman Alpha Halos (LAHs) and comparing them to those in similar redshift quasars without strong radio jets. We recover 8 new LAHs, suggesting larger fractions of such emission around radio-loud quasars than that observed around radio-quiet ones.
- Finally, I am involved in the LSST AGN Science Collaboration with Prof. Assef, developing methods to identify AGN photometric properties in future LSST datasets. This project includes creating a training set based on photometric and spectroscopic data from fields such as COSMOS.
Highlights
- Scholarship after astrophysicist Viktor Hambardzumyan in 2020.
- Finalist of Falling Walls 2020 Science Engagement Breakthrough of the Year.
Publications
- Mkrtchyan et. al 2025 (in prep.)
- NASA ADS
Extracurricular activities
I am deeply interested in the philosophy of science and education. I like playing the ukulele, singing, and recording covers. I am a board game enthusiast, mostly Euro-games and tabletop games like DnD. Finally, I love hiking and exploring nature.
Contact me
tatevik.mkrtchyan [at] mail.udp.cl