Taka Tanaka

Columbia University, PhD Candidate

What Happens When Black Holes Collide?

Physicists and astronomers have been pondering the above question for 40 years. Far from being a mere theoretical curiosity, it may hold the key to understanding the nature of gravity, the history of cosmic expansion, the origins of supermassive black holes, and the physics of quasars. I will describe how the scientists' view of the question has evolved over the years, from the preliminary work of Stephen Hawking and others, to recent breakthroughs, current research and future experiments.