April 4, 2024 8-10 PM

Event Type: Lecture and Stargazing
Title: If You Give a Black Hole a Cookie
Lecturer: Jean Somalwar
Position: PhD Candidate
Institution: Caltech
Abstract:
Black holes are arguably the strangest objects in our universe. While black holes themselves are black, the regions around them can glow brightly as the black holes consume nearby material. One of the primary ways scientists detect black holes is through the light emitted by these accretion disks, which funnel material inward to be devoured. But what exactly happens when you give a black hole something to eat? In this talk, I will describe the processes through which black holes, from the smallest to the largest, consume matter. I'll describe how astronomers use black hole dinnertime as a way to find and study these remarkable objects, what we still don't know, and how we hope to learn more soon.