Pau Bosch-Cabot

About Me

I'm a PhD candidate currently researching on Black Hole X-Ray binary jets and their interactions with the Interstellar Medium 🔭 within the group of Dr. Alexandra Tetarenko at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada . I have previous research experience on exoplanets 🪐 and Super Massive Black Holes (SMBHs) ⚫️ formation and evolution mechanisms.

I was born in Barcelona, Spain and raised in a small village by the sea called Sant Pere Pescador . 🌊

I received my BSc and MSc at Universitat de Barcelona 📚 and managed Observatori Astronòmic Albanyà 🔭 for a few years before moving to Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦, where I'm pursuing a PhD. Right now I am based in Merate (Italy) through a MITACS Globalink research fellowship.

Also, I am a passionate science communicator and love to teach at all levels. My PhD experience is providing me with some teaching opportunities that give me the chance to exploit that interest.

If you meet me at a conference and want to talk about science or go enjoy a few beers do so at your own risk. I am chatty.

Curriculum Vitae

Research Interests

Astrochemistry in Calorimetry

I am working on using the observable properties of the interstellar medium to characterize the energy content deposited by jets at interaction sites. In turn, the retrieval of these properties allows us to make reliable measurements of jet power with a method called calorimetry.

These interaction sites are known to exist within the galactic population of X-ray binaries, and have classically been monitored in the radio band (Dubner et al. 1998, Gallo et al. 2005, Atri et al. 2025, Motta et al. 2025, Mariani et al. 2025).

My particular approach tackles molecular line emission in the sub-mm band to solve the main uncertainties raised by continuum observation methods (Tetarenko et al. 2018, Tetarenko et al. 2020). Find my latest paper here.

The image above was supplied by Dr. Alexandra Tetarenko (my PhD thesis supervisor). Get more info about Dr. Tetarenko's work and group here.

The Numerical Simulations View of Jet–ISM Interactions

Jet–ISM interactions are key in the measurement of jet power and the better understanding of jet launching mechanisms.

However, their detailed dynamics are very hard to constrain with imaging only, since the evolution timescales of jet-driven large-scale structures can easily exceed tens of thousands of years.

Luckily, the use of relativistic hydrodynamic simulations bridges the gap between theory and observations, allowing us to get more insight into the intricate dynamics of these regions (e.g., Bosch-Ramon et al. 2011, Gasealahwe et al. 2025, Savard et al. 2025).

Lately, I'm delving into this work myself to bridge the observational behaviour of some BHXB systems to their interaction history.

The image above is from Gasealahwe et al. 2025 .

Exoplanet Detection

During my years at Observatori Astronòmic Albanyà , I got to work on exoplanets while collaborating with the TFOP-SG1 group from the TESS mission.

I used the on-site facilities at the observatory to produce and reduce data with differential photometry techniques.

During my stay I mentored a few undergraduate students:

• Sandra Matutano
• Gemma Domènech-Rams
• Sara Drapkin

The results produced by my mentees and myself were featured in several publications on renowned journals.

Credits on the image above: NASA-Goddard Space Center.

Supermassive Black Hole Formation and Evolution

During my undergraduate and MSc studies, I worked with data from the group led by Dr. Eduard Salvador-Solé to investigate the formation and evolution of Supermassive Black Holes (SMBHs).

• Worked with the AMIGA analytical model of galaxy formation and evolution.
• Investigated the formation and evolution of SMBHs and their merger history.
• Developed observational predictions for LISA to potentially probe SMBH seeds through gravitational-wave observations.

The image above is a render based on simulations of merging binary black holes, for a review on the topic I recommend d'Orasio and Charisi, 2023.

Observations

My observational work follows a simple philosophy: the wavelength may change, but the scientific question often does not. I use a multiwavelength approach to study how X-ray binaries interact with and inject energy into the interstellar medium, combining radio, submillimetre, and optical observations to build a more complete picture of astrophysical feedback.

So far, I've been fortunate to lead or contribute to successful observing proposals with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), and the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) using its SITELLE imaging Fourier transform spectrometer. Although these facilities observe very different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, they all produce the same kind of treasure: spectral cubes—three-dimensional datasets containing a spectrum at every position on the sky.

Treating every pixel as its own spectrum allows us to recover the physical conditions of the gas, its morphology, and its kinematics simultaneously. By measuring these quantities in a spatially resolved way, we can place much stronger constraints on the energy deposited by relativistic jets and significantly reduce the uncertainties associated with understanding X-ray binary feedback into the ISM.

Image credits: NRAO (ALMA), EAO (JCMT), NSERC (CFHT).

Publications

I have contributed to 16 peer-reviewed publications, including 2 first-author papers. In those last 2, I have led the scientific discussion, data reduction and manuscript preparation. My contributions as an observer have primarily involved data acquisition, reduction, analysis, and early-stage scientific discussions.

Legend: ★ = Black hole X-ray binary / jet–ISM research  

Peer-reviewed publications

1. ★ Bosch-Cabot, P. et al. (2026b), The Astrophysical Journal — “A cooler look at Cygnus X–1: searching for dynamical interactions within cold molecular gas.”
   Based on IRAM 30m observations; part of my PhD thesis.
2. Carleo, I. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2026), Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society — “Precise mass and radius determination for two new and one known Neptune-sized planets around G dwarf hosts.”
3. Guenther, E. W. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2026), The Astrophysical Journal — “The Discovery of Five Hot Jupiters by TESS.”
4. Kokori, A. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2026), The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series — “ExoClock Project IV: A Homogeneous Catalog of 620 Updated Exoplanet Ephemerides.”
5. Carleo, I. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2026), Astronomy & Astrophysics — “TOI-3862 b: A dense super-Neptune deep in the hot Neptune desert.”
6. ★ Bosch-Cabot, P. et al. (2026a), The Astrophysical Journal — “Constraining the Jet Energetics of the Transient X-ray Binaries MAXI J1348-630 and MAXI J1820+070 through Calorimetry.”
   Based on ALMA observations; part of my PhD thesis.
7. ★ Kashyap, U. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2025), The Astrophysical Journal — “First X-ray and radio polarimetry of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary GX 17+2.”
8. Essack, Z. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2025), The Astronomical Journal — “Giant Outer Transiting Exoplanet Mass (GOT ’EM) Survey VI.”
9. Yee, S. W. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2025), The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series — “The TESS Grand Unified Hot Jupiter Survey III.”
10. Zingales, T. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2025), Astronomy & Astrophysics — “Two resonant mini-Neptunes around TOI-1803 with TESS, HARPS-N, and CHEOPS.”
11. Giacalone, S. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2024), The Astronomical Journal — “Identification of Terrestrial Planets for JWST Thermal Emission Measurements.”
12. Rescigno, F. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2024), Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society — “A hot mini-Neptune and a temperate, highly eccentric sub-Saturn around TOI-2134.”
13. Kunimoto, M. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2023), The Astronomical Journal — “TOI-4010: A System of Three Large Short-period Planets with a Massive Long-period Companion.”
14. Fukui, A. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2021), The Astronomical Journal — “TOI-1749: An M dwarf with a Trio of Planets including a Near-Resonant Pair.”
15. Cloutier, R. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2021), The Astronomical Journal — “TOI-1634 b: An Ultra-short-period Keystone Planet Sitting inside the M-dwarf Radius Valley.”
16. Baluev, R. V. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2021), Acta Astronomica — “Massive search of spot- and facula-crossing events in 1598 exoplanetary transit light curves.”

Non peer-reviewed publications

1. Bosch-Cabot, P. (2026), NRAO Newsletter — “Unveiling Black Hole Jet Power with ALMA.”
2. Koljonen, K. et al. (including P. Bosch-Cabot) (2025), ESO Expanding Horizons — “mm-jets in the Multi-messenger Era.”

Outreach

I genuinely believe that science belongs to everyone—not just to universities, researchers, or people lucky enough to own a telescope. Throughout the last few years I've tried to make astronomy as accessible as possible, whether that meant speaking to hundreds of people on a stage, guiding families under a dark sky, or helping schools discover why protecting the night matters.

From 2023 to 2024 I had the privilege of serving as President of the Societat Astronòmica de Figueres, where I organized public lectures, community observing nights, and outreach events while promoting awareness of light pollution across the Alt Empordà region.

My biggest international outreach adventure was leading the technical and educational work of the Erasmus+ project Turn Off the Lights, Turn On the Stars. Together with schools and institutions in Spain, Croatia, and Hungary, we developed educational resources that introduced thousands of students to astronomy through the lens of dark-sky conservation.

For five years I also worked as an Outreach Host at Observatori Astronòmic Albanyà, delivering astronomy sessions in Catalan, Spanish, and English to visitors of all ages. At the same time, I served as the observatory's Dark Sky Park Administrator, monitoring sky quality and producing the annual reports required to maintain its International Dark Sky certification.

One of the most memorable moments of my outreach journey was being invited to give a TEDx Manresa talk titled “El temps passa, però què passa amb el temps?”, where I explored the strange nature of time and Special Relativity with an audience of more than 600 people. It reminded me that some of the most beautiful scientific ideas become even more powerful when they're explained with curiosity rather than jargon.

Whether I'm teaching children how to observe the Sun safely, discussing black holes at a conference, or convincing someone to turn off a streetlight, the goal is always the same: making science equitable, welcoming, and genuinely enjoyable for everyone.

Beyond Astronomy

Nature and Mountains

I have always been a mountaineering enthusiast. I was raised close to the Pyrenees, where I developed a love for mountains and spending time outdoors. Since then, I have lived near the Rockies (Canada) and near the Alps (Italy), and each place has given me a new landscape to explore.

I never seem to stop exploring, whether that means hiking through the mountains, cycling across new landscapes, skiing down them, or snowboarding through them. For me, the mountains are humbling, often reminding me that nature is beautiful but unforgiving.

Music

I have been playing musical instruments since I was a child. I have never received any formal musical education and have instead taught myself how to play through years of experimenting, practising and learning by ear (or trying to, anyway).

My main instrument is the guitar, although over the years I have also learned to play bass, piano, violin and some drums. I even tried to teach myself the cello for a while, although bringing a cello with me to Canada was, unfortunately, not really an option.

Photography

I have recently returned to landscape and travel photography. After realising that I seem to travel far more than I take pictures, I decided it was probably time to do something about it. Because yes, the curse of age (even if short by some standards) makes me forget details of where I have been and what I have done.

I am now trying to make photography a more regular part of my travels, with no artistic pretension, just whatever pleases me in the moment.

Reading

I am also an avid reader and will happily pick up a book about almost anything. My reading tends to wander across genres, from fantasy and science fiction to war history, anthropology and non-fiction.

Two books I precently enjoyed are Un verdor terrible by Benjamin Labatut and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

Contact

• OrcID
• GitHub

Elements

i = 0;

while (!deck.isInOrder()) {
    print 'Iteration ' + i;
    deck.shuffle();
    i++;
}

print 'It took ' + i + ' iterations to sort the deck.';