Special TAPIR Seminar

HYBRID

In person: 370 Cahill -- Attendees joining in person must have a valid Caltech UID.

To join via zoom: https://caltech.zoom.us/j/83608232550?pwd=Y1BRclJJRlloV1Z1MTQxZGo0cDZEUT09

ABSTRACT:

The detection of gravitational waves from compact binary mergers by the LIGO/Virgo collaboration has, for the first time, allowed for tests of relativistic gravity in the strong, dynamical and nonlinear regime. As a result, we have been able to constrain a plethora of modified gravity theories and put Einstein's General Relativity (GR) to more rigorous testing. When considering theories beyond Einstein's relativity, spinning black holes may be different from their general relativistic counterparts, and their merger may then lead to a modified gravitational wave waveform. The ringdown phase of gravitational waves is composed of a superposition of quasinormal mode frequencies. Modifications to GR can shift the quasinormal mode spectra, making ringdown an effective tool in testing GR. In this talk, I will present a theoretical perspective into calculating the quasinormal mode spectra in certain modified theories of gravity and present insight into past and current developments. Additionally, I will also present the new tools we need to analytically calculate the master equations defining the perturbations of black holes and numerical tools to integrate these equations to obtain the quasinormal mode frequencies. Finally, I will discuss the role ringdown would play in gravity keeping in mind current and future gravitational wave detectors.