Daniel Mayerson

KU Leuven, October 20, 12:00 pm

Fuzzballs in String Theory and Black Hole Observations

What signatures of string theory can be revealed through precision black hole observations?
Recent strong gravity observations (gravitational waves, black hole imaging) can carry signatures of how general relativity is corrected by quantum effects. In particular, we can distinguish two separate questions:
1) Do (exotic) ultracompact objects exist beyond black holes (and neutron stars)?
2) Are there observable effects of quantum corrections to black hole horizons?
I will discuss these questions and the possible answers from string theory from the viewpoint of the “fuzzball” paradigm, where classical black hole paradoxes are resolved by replacing the horizon by quantum, stringy microstructure. The properties of such microstructure differ from properties of black hole horizons in possibly observable ways and can give rise to exciting predictions for the future of strong gravity observations.