Black Hole Probes of Beyond-Standard Model Particles and Fields

Black holes are among the most exciting predictions of Einstein's General Relativity. Composed solely of spacetime fabric and described only by their mass, spin, and (electric) charge, they offer unique access to strong-field and nonlinear gravity. Black holes are now regularly observed via gravitational waves, radiation from accretion disks, the motion of stars around them, or black hole images. In this project, the PI's team will develop theoretical and numerical tools to advance our knowledge of gravity theory, black holes, and their interaction with fundamental fields, via gravitational wave observations. The project pursues three main research goals: 1) the study of the superradiant instability of black holes in a general class of cosmological spacetimes against massive scalar fields that represent axion-like particles or dark matter candidates, 2) the study of black holes in axi-dilaton gravity, in which two fundamental scalar fields are coupled to gravity and the simulation of the scalars' out-of-equilibrium dynamics around spinning black holes and determine their end-state. The team will simulate the scalars' evolution around a binary black hole, and determine their impact on the gravitational wave signal. Finally, 3) includes a simulation campaign of binary black holes in scalar Gauss-Bonnet gravity to create the first gravitational wave catalog in quadratic gravity. The PI's team will partner with the Grainger College of Engineering's Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) program. The PI will offer six-week summer research experiences to Illinois high-school students from historically underrepresented groups in STEM. Students will be introduced to hands-on scientific research in gravitation and receive expert career counseling for college applications. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.