Thomas W-S Holoien
is an NHFP Einstein Fellow at Carnegie
Observatories in Pasadena. He leverages
“big data” to study tidal disruption events,
supernovae, and other transient events.
Research
My research has focused primarily on using large-scale survey projects to study transient events, particularly supernovae and tidal disruption events, and the computation involved with analyzing massive data sets.
I am especially interested in early- and late-time observation of nearby tidal disruption events and population studies of nearby supernovae and their host galaxies. Use the links below to see more information about my primary research interests.
For a full list of publications please see my my ADS library or my CV.
In the News
Please see the list below for links to press releases and interviews about my research.
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Mistaken Identity: A Presumed Supernova is Actually Something Much Rarer, Carnegie Observatories, 2021
NASA Missions Help Investigate an 'Old Faithful' Active Galaxy, NASA, 2021
UH Graduate Student Discovers Long-Sought 'Old Faithful' Active Galaxy, University of Hawai'i, 2021
"Old Faithful" Cosmic Eruption Shows Black Hole Ripping at Star, The Ohio State University, 2021
Press releases about our paper on ASASSN-14ko, a periodically flaring active galaxy -
Found: "Poster Child" For Being Shredded By A Black Hole, Carnegie Observatories, 2019
NASA's TESS Mission Spots Its 1st Star-shredding Black Hole, NASA, 2019
Scientists Watch a Black Hole Shredding a Star, The Ohio State University, 2019
Black Hole Shreds Star, UH Astronomer on Discovery Team, University of Hawai'i, 2019
Press releases about my paper on ASASSN-19bt, the first TDE detected by TESS -
Newly Discovered Supernova Complicates Origin Story Theories, Carnegie Observatories, 2018
Kepler's Supernova Experiment Captures First Moments of a Dying Star, NASA, 2018
Press releases about my paper on ASASSN-18bt, the brightest supernova detected by Kepler -
Postdoc Spotlight: Tom Holoien
Interview, Carnegie Observatories, 2018 -
"Assassin" Targets Supernovae in Our Neighborhood of the Universe, The Ohio State University, 2015
Press release about early results from ASAS-SN -
Lucky Star Escapes Black Hole with Minor Damage, The Ohio State University, 2014
Press release about my paper on the tidal disruption event ASASSN-14ae
Outreach
In addition to research, I am also passionate about public outreach, particularly in encouraging young people to pursue careers in astronomy. Use the links to the left to see descriptions of some of the projects I have involved with and links for you to learn more.
Accolades
can be found on my CV
Contact
To learn more about me and my research, please contact me at:
Carnegie Observatories
813 Santa Barbara Street Pasadena, CA 91101
tholoien [at] carnegiescience [dot] edu
Research gallery images credit NASA/JPL-Caltech, Beijing Planetarium/Jin Ma, Earth Chronicles News, and Yuri Beletsky.
Outreach thumbnail images credit Carnegie Observatories, The Ohio State Planetarium, and Tom Holoien.