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Speaker: Luke Kelley (UC Berkeley) – Title: Nanohertz Gravitational Waves: Exploring the most massive black holes in the Universe
October 12, 2023 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Research Progress Meeting
Date: October 12, 2023
Time: 4:00- 5:00 pm
Location: Sessler Conference Room- 50A-5132 [In-Person and HYBRID]
Speaker: Luke Kelley (UC Berkeley)
Title: Nanohertz Gravitational Waves: Exploring the most massive black holes in the Universe
Abstract: Earlier this year NANOGrav, along with other pulsar timing arrays, announced strong evidence for a stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background at nanohertz frequencies. For decades, such a signal has been predicted from binaries of supermassive black holes (SMBHs). I will present NANOGrav’s recent data and our interpretation of the signal as produced by SMBH binaries. I will show that these GWs encode a wealth of new information about SMBH formation and evolution. Now, the race is on for the next expected measurements: detection of anisotropy in the GW background, and individual loud binaries. These measurements would confirm the origin of the GWs, provide a crucial testbed for the future LISA mission, and open a new multi-messenger window into the Universe.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://lbnl.zoom.us/j/98854322464?pwd=K2tKUm1VZjRlV1J5RHE3cXdHQzRxdz09
Meeting ID: 988 5432 2464
Passcode: 142239