CSI Gravity: Investigating mysteries in modern physics with black holes

Abstract

Black holes are among the most exciting predictions of Einstein's theory of general relativity, composed of the fabric of spacetime itself. Originally thought of as a mathematical curiosity, we now have overwhelming observational evidence that they exist in nature.
In the first part of my talk I will share with you some of these observations such as the motion of stars at the center of the Milky Way, the image of black holes taken by the Event Horizon Telescope and the gravitational waves emitted by colliding black holes detected by the LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA collaboration.
These observations have opened a rich discovery space for astrophysics, gravitation, particle and dark matter physics, and cosmology. To fully explore this discovery space, we need to link black holes observations and theoretical models. Therefore, in the second part of my talk, I will share with you recent advances in numerical relativity and how we can use them to investigate long-standing mysteries in modern physics.