TPPC weekly seminar (in-person): Swetha Bhagwat [Room S3.30] - "Testing strong field gravity with gravitational waves"

Wednesday 12 Jun 2024, 12:30 → 14:00 Europe/London

Strand Building, S3.30

Speaker: Swetha Bhagwat

Title: Testing strong field gravity with gravitational waves

Abstract: The dynamics of merging black holes occur in the strong field limits of the general theory of relativity. Gravitational waves emitted during this process offer an unique opportunity to empirically assess whether our understanding of gravity still holds in this extreme regime. A merger leads to the formation of a distorted black hole that "rings" down as it settles into a final stable state. The gravitational waves emitted during this process is a crucial probe for exploring the strong-field gravity dynamics. I will briefly review conventional tests like black hole spectroscopy that probe the linear dynamics predicted using perturbation theory in this regime. Then, I will introduce a novel test - 'the amplitude-phase consistency test' - designed to indirectly probe dynamics in the non-linear regime. Finally, I will explore the prospects and challenges associated with implementing amplitude-based test using data from current and future gravitational wave detectors.