GW190521 - Discovery of Black Holes that Should Not Exist

PIRSA ID: 20100010
Event Type: Seminar
Domaine(s) scientifique(s) :
Cosmology
Date de fin :
Speaker(s):
  • Karan Jani, Pennsylvania State University

The new gravitational-wave signal GW190521in LIGO and Virgo marks the first observational detection of the elusive intermediate-mass black holes. The detection also confirms there exist a new class of black holes in the mass gap predicted by the pair-instability supernovae theory. In this talk, I will discuss the process that went behind inferring the astrophysical properties of this historic discovery. I would briefly address the alternative scenarios we looked into for a possible exotic origin of this signal, including any violation of General Relativity. For the upcoming ESA/NASA space mission LISA, I would highlight how this discovery opens a unique epoch of multi-band, multi-messenger astronomy.