PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM
3 :30 pm, Lecture Hall 6
Probing the strong-field dynamics of gravity and the nature of compact objects with gravitational waves
Chris Van Den Broeck
Utrecht University, Netherlands and Nikhef, Amsterdam.
05-12-19

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Abstract

Our recently obtained capability to directly detect gravitational waves has opened up unprecedented opportunities to observationally probe the nature of compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes, to study the genuinely strong-field dynamics of spacetime, and to test the propagation of gravitational waves over large distances. I will give an overview of the variety of tests to which the signals found by Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo have been subjected, indicating their implications for alternative theories of gravity. In addition I will outline unique new tests that will become possible with the upcoming space-based LISA as well as third-generation detectors on the ground such as Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer.