Gravitational Physics
Modelling spinning EMRIs using Self-Force
Speaker: Maarten van de Meent (University of Southampton)
Date: Friday 18 November 2016
Time: 11.15
Venue: Chart Room (N/3.23)
Extreme mass ratio inspirals (EMRIs)---binary black hole inspirals where the secondary is much lighter than the primary--- form a key science target for the future LISA space-based gravitational wave observatory. EMRIs are highly relativistic and exhibit wildly disparate length scales. Consequently, existing post-Newtonian and numerical relativity techniques are inadequate to model these gravitational wave sources. The gravitational self-force formalism models the dynamics of binary black holes as a systematic perturbative expansion in the mass-ratio. Much progress has been made over the last two decades. In this seminar I will present some of the latest developments in modelling the gravitational self-force.