Black hole forensics: sleuthing out spacetime structure from ringing gravitational waves
Harrison Siegel
Perimeter Institute

When a black hole is perturbed, it rings out in gravitationalwaves. Measuring these gravitational waves is akin to taking the blackhole?s fingerprint: the complex frequency spectrum of the ringingwaves depends uniquely on the underlying spacetime structure of the blackhole. Because different gravitational theories predict different spacetimestructures, these spectral fingerprints can reveal the identity of thetheory governing our universe. The LIGO detectors are now observingthese ringing waves and placing the first constraints on black holespacetimes. In this talk, we?ll survey the rapidly evolving state ofthe art in analyses of such ringing signals, highlight the strongestconstraints achieved so far, and explore the many theoretical challengesand ongoing debates driving the field.

Date:	Mardi, le 28 octobre 2025
Heure:	15:30
Lieu:	Université McGill
	Ernest Rutherford Physics, R.E. Bell Conference Room (room 103)