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 (i) why astronomers expect supermassive black holes to collide, and (ii) the history, current status and future prospects of the scientific quest for the answer to the title.