I will first discuss under which circumstances can black holes carry a scalar charge and what this implies for how that charge scales with the mass of the black hole. I will then use this insight to argue that EMRIs are an ideal system for searches of new fundamental scalars. I will lay out the framework for modelling EMRIs in this context and and present some first forecasts on LISA's ability...
The description of Extreme Mass Ratio Inspirals (EMRIs) in modified theories of gravity can be very complex. However, for a vast class of theories with additional scalar fields, great simplifications occur. At leading order in the binary mass ratio, the primary scalar charge is suppressed, so that the background spacetime is simply described by the Kerr metric. Moreover, the imprint of the...
For precise measurements of EMRIs with LISA data, first-post-adiabatic accuracy EMRI models will be required. Great effort is being expelled in pursuing first-post-adiabatic models in General Relativity. However, to test our fundamental theory of gravity, we also need models in alternative theories. Scalar fields are ubiquitous in alternative theories of gravity. In this talk, we provide a...
Scalar clouds can form through superradiant instabilities of massive scalar fields around spinning black holes and can also serve as a proxy for dark matter structures around black holes. They can potentially be detected through a number of signatures, including the possibility that they can affect the dynamics of binary black hole systems. In this talk, I will discuss recent work aiming at...
Gravitational wave observations through the first three observational runs of ground-based detectors can reveal such sources' various astrophysical and fundamental physics aspects. Even though the current detections do not show evidence for alternate compact objects, the data can still not rule out their existence entirely. This talk aims to provide a status update on black hole mimicker tests...
