Astroparticle Colloquia

Probing black hole horizon effects with gravitational waves

by Alex Nielsen (Albert Einstein Institute Hannover)

Europe/Rome
Ex-ISEF/Building-Main Lecture Hall (GSSI)

Ex-ISEF/Building-Main Lecture Hall

GSSI

20
Description
Black holes are unique astrophysical objects in that they have gravitational horizons. Gravitational wave observations can be used to probe the properties of these horizons and in some cases search for new physics very close to the horizons. In general relativity there is a close correlation between the asymptotically outgoing flux of gravitational waves observed by the detectors and the ingoing flux at the horizon. This information is used to study the evolution of the horizon both in vacuum general relativity and in models that go beyond. With this information and gravitational wave observations, we can place bounds on additional fluxes or structure forming at or near black hole horizons.