Title: When Space-Time Shakes: Gravitational Waves from Black Holes
Speaker: Poul Henrik Damgaard
Time: Nov. 17th (Fri.), 15:30
Location: Room 215
Abstract:
The discovery over gravitational waves emitted from merging highly compact objects such as black holes is changing astrophysics and will be probing gravity where it is very strong. There is now a rush for new observational facilities, including spectacular space-based experiments. Simultaneously, theoretical predictions must reach new levels of accuracy. I will describe how a new method based on taking the classical limit of the quantum mechanical scattering of two massive objects is rapidly overtaking previous attempts at solving Einstein's field equations for two black holes orbiting each other.
Bio:
Poul Damgaard received his PhD from Cornell University in 1982. He held post-doctoral positions at NORDITA, CERN, and the Niels Bohr Institute, as well as a position as Scientific Associate at CERN for five years. Since 1995 he has been on the faculty of the Niels Bohr Institute. He is the founding and current Director of Niels Bohr International Academy, a center for theoretical physics at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. Poul Damgaard has contributed to a variety of different areas in theoretical physics and is currently working on analytical predictions for gravitational wave emission of merging black holes on the basis of scattering amplitudes.
