COLLOQUIUM: Mercoledi, 17 Gennaio 2018, ore 17:30 Prof Thibault Damour Gravitational Waves and Coalescing Black Holes

Dove: Centro S. Elisabetta CAMPUS

Relatore: Prof. Thibault Damour - Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques, Bures sur Yvette, France

E-mail di riferimento: sebastiano.bernuzzi@unipr.it

Abstract:

Two of the most novel predictions of Einstein's theory of General
Relativity were discovered soon after its creation one century ago:
Black Holes (Schwarzschild, January 1916) and Gravitational Waves
(Einstein, June 1916).  It took more than 50 years to grasp the physical
significance of these theoretical discoveries. The recent discovery of
several gravitational wave events by the two Laser Interferometer
Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) interferometers, and by the Virgo
interferometer, has brought the first direct evidence for the existence
of black holes,  and has been the first  observation of gravitational
waves in the wave-zone. In addition, the recent detection of the
gravitational waves emitted by coalescing binary neutron stars has
clarified several longstanding mysteries in astronomy. After briefly
reviewing the experimental and theoretical developments on gravitational
waves, the talk will focus on the theoretical work on the motion and
gravitational radiation of binary black holes (and binary neutron stars)
that has been decisive in interpreting the LIGO-Virgo events