Astrophysics, Gravitation and Cosmology Seminar - Hector O. Silva (The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics) "Testing general relativity in the nonlinear regime with black-hole binaries"
- Event Type
- Seminar/Symposium
- Sponsor
- Department of Physics
- Location
- Loomis 464
- Date
- Nov 30, 2022 12:00 pm
- Speaker
- Hector O.Silva
- Contact
- Brandy Koebbe
- bkoebbe@illinois.edu
- Views
- 53
- Originating Calendar
- Physics - Astrophysics, Relativity, and Cosmology Seminar
The coalescence of compact binaries and the gravitational waves produced in this process provide an unique view into gravity in its dynamical, nonlinear regime. Proeminent during a black-hole coalescence is the plunge-merger stage, when the black holes collide at a large fraction of the speed of light and around which the gravitational-wave luminosity peaks. How robust are the predictions of general relativity at this stage? I will present a new parametrized waveform model within the effective-one-body formalism that allows for deviations from general relativity in the plunge-merger-ringdown stage of nonprecessing, quasicircular black-hole binaries. I will discuss the application of this waveform model to analyze the black-hole binary events GW150914 and GW200129. I will use GW200129 to discuss the importance of waveform systematics and of data-quality when interpreting tests of general relativity with present day gravitational-wave observations.