Physics and Astronomy Colloquium
Testing the No-Hair Theorem and the Area Theorem with LIGO
Presented by Saul Teukolsky, Hans A. Bethe Professor of Physics at Cornell University
One of the key results of general relativity is that an astrophysical black hole in equilibrium is uniquely described by just two parameters, its mass and spin. This is called the No-Hair Theorem, a result that is not true in alternative theories of gravity. For many years, people have speculated about testing the theorem using gravitational waves from merging black holes. For a long time, the consensus has been that this test will require the sensitivity of next-generation detectors. I will show that this consensus is wrong for a surprising reason, and report a test with data from GW150914, the first LIGO gravitational wave detection. An extension of the test confirms Hawking's Area Theorem at the 97% limit.
4:00 pm, Friday, November 12, 2021
Via Zoom. Please take the Satisfaction Survey,
Refreshments will not be available at this event.
Individuals with disabilities who need an auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in P&A events should contact the Physics Department (phone: 505-277-2616, email: physics@unm.edu) well in advance to ensure your needs are accomodated. Event handouts can be provided in alternative accessible formats upon request. Please contact the Physics front office if you need written information in an alternative format.
A schedule of talks within the Department of Physics and Astronomy is available on the P&A web site at http://physics.unm.edu/pandaweb/events/index.php