Physics and Astronomy Colloquium
Black Hole Enigma
Presented by Dr. Malcolm J. Perry (Cambridge University)
In many ways, black holes remain extraordinarily mysterious objects despite the fact
that their presence is now being observed with relative ease. In this talk, I will describe the
history of the subject and the various steps that have led to the discovery of the presence of
black holes as astrophysical objects. Examples include the final stages of stellar evolution,
X-ray sources in binary systems, black hole collisions discovered by LIGO and the giant
black holes that lie in the centers of galaxies, including our own. Black holes also power
quasars, the brightest objects in nature. Lastly, I will describe the discovery of Hawking
radiation that gives glimpses into an as yet incomplete theory of quantum gravity. These
ideas highlight one of the most perplexing problems in fundamental theoretical physics
today, namely the information paradox. A resolution of this paradox requires some wholly
new thinking about the nature of space and time and how to integrate these ideas with
quantum mechanics.
No mathematics is needed.
3:30 pm, Friday, April 26, 2024
PAIS-1100, PAIS
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