SCIENCE SEMINAR
STellar Astrophysics & Relativity research cluster/Physics Department seminar
Black holes and the laws of physics
Dr. Alex Nielsen
Albert Einstein Institute/Max-Planck-Institut fur Gravitationsphysik,
Golm, Germany
Friday, October 29, 2010
1.30-2.30 pm
Nicolls 315
In this talk we will discuss what studying black holes can teach us about the laws of physics. We will see how black holes in Einstein gravity are different from dark stars in Newtonian gravity. We will examine what the astrophysical evidence for black holes is and how Einstein gravity can be tested by observations. We will also see how black holes can be related to thermodynamics and what role quantum mechanics might play in the evolution of black holes. The talk will include up-to-date research ideas but should be suitable to a physics undergraduate audience.
