Princeton University Gravity Initiative Seminar Series

Abstract: Gravitational wave and electromagnetic observations of strongly gravitating systems allow us not only to probe black holes and neutron stars, but also have the potential to uncover new fundamental physics. Superradiant bosonic clouds and boson stars are unique probes of new ultralight weakly-coupled scalar, vector, and spin-2 particles, as well as ultracompact and black hole mimicking objects. I will discuss the dynamics of these systems, the observable gravitational and electromagnetic signatures, and illustrate possible detection strategies.