Speaker
Description
Precision gravitational-wave astronomy is under way, able to probe strong-field gravity to unprecedented levels. Which is the correct description of gravity, and of the matter content of the universe? I will not answer these questions, but will discuss some of the smoking-guns for the simplest extensions of General Relativity and of the Standard Model, in the context of black hole physics: new massive degrees of freedom. I will discuss the status of superradiant constraints on massive fields, and show how energy extraction occurs naturally in the presence of multiple propagation speeds. Finally, I will argue that current constraints on massive gravitons must take into account new polarization states, and discuss how effectively massive fields affect black hole relaxation.
