QFT methods for the gravitational two-body problem

by Gregor Kälin (DESY)

Thursday 25 May 2023, 14:00 → 15:00 Europe/Berlin

3344 (Physikdepartment)

The first ever direct detections of gravitational waves from merging black holes and neutron stars by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and the Virgo detector have opened a fundamentally new window into the Universe. Gravitational waves from binary mergers are high-precision tests of orbital dynamics and provide an unprecedented tool to probe fundamental physics. Not only do they allow to test gravity under extreme conditions, but also to address the very fundamental open questions in the evolution of our Universe, namely the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy (or possible modifications of general relativity). In my talk, I will show how we can turn binary mergers into cosmic labs where we can test the very foundations of general relativity and explore the existence of new interactions and particles, like axions, which could be the dark matter.