Special TAPIR Seminar

Demographics of intermediate-mass black holes from LIGO to LISA

Karan Jani, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Astrophysics, Vanderbilt University,

The direct measurement of gravitational waves is a powerful tool for surveying the population of black holes across the universe. The first gravitational-wave catalog from LIGO has showcased mergers of binary black holes as heavy as 90 solar mass since half the current age of the universe. However, there is yet no unambiguous evidence of black holes or their binaries in the intermediate-mass range of 100-100,000 solar masses. In this talk, I will provide an overview of our search for intermediate-mass black holes in LIGO and the promise these elusive sources holds for all the next-generation gravitational-wave detectors, including LISA. Further, I would highlight their unique prospect for multi-wavelength gravitational-wave astronomy and tests of general relativity. [NOTE: Unusual day]

For more information, please contact JoAnn Boyd by phone at x4280 or by email at [email protected].