[WE-Heraeus-Stiftung]

460. Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Seminar:

"Black Holes"

June 7th - 11th 2010
Physikzentrum Bad Honnef, Germany

 

final program

final announcement

conference photo

Topic and Goal

The last decade has witnessed rapid progress in the astrophysical study of black holes. Observations have shown that many nearby galaxies host supermassive black holes at their centers, and have established an intimate link between the masses of the black holes and the properties of their host galaxies. Measurements in the high-energy X-ray regime have allowed us to study the conditions of matter in the immediate vicinity of black holes, and to probe down to scales very close to the actual event horizon of black holes. Breakthroughs in numerical relativity have made it possible, for the first time, to compute the merging of two supermassive black holes. Within the next ten years, ground-based gravitational wave detectors like LIGO and VIRGO will begin making regular observations of merging stellar-mass black holes out to redshifts of ~0.3, giving us direct views of the black holes themselves. Future space-based observatories like IXO will measure X-rays from the first accreting massive black holes in the Universe, while LISA will detect gravitational waves from coalescing supermassive black hole binaries throughout the Universe. Gravitational wave and electromagnetic astronomy have previously been rather disjoint fields of research. A key goal of this seminar is to bring together researchers in these two fields, and to provide a forum for lively discussions, with an emphasis on the electromagnetic and gravitational wave signatures of strong gravity.

The seminar will focus on the following key topics:

  • Astrophysical observations and physics of black holes, and probes of strong gravity.
  • Formation and growth of supermassive black holes across cosmic times, co-evolution of galaxies and black holes.
  • Galaxy mergers, formation and coalescence of binary supermassive black holes.
  • Gravitational wave emission from compact objects.
  • Current and future ground- and space-based missions which are devoted to the study of gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation from (the environment of) black holes.
  • Electromagnetic signatures of black hole binaries and recoiling black holes.

The seminar will consist of invited review talks (35+5min), contributed talks (15+5 min), and posters. There is no registration fee.

Organizers

Bernard Schutz (AEI Potsdam), Karsten Danzmann (AEI Hannover), S. Komossa (MPE Garching)
email contact: blackholes2010 [at] mpe.mpg.de

Invited Speakers

Roy Kerr: Black Holes in General Relativity,
Andrew King: Stellar mass black holes in astronomy,
Brad Peterson: Supermassive black holes in astronomy,
Pau Amaro Seoane: Formation and evolution of extreme mass-ratio inspirals,
Karsten Danzmann: Expectations/results from ground-based GW detectors,
Wolfgang Duschl: Physics of accretion disks around black holes,
Günther Hasinger: Special evening lecture: Black Holes and the Fate of the Universe,
Knud Jahnke: Co-evolution of supermassive black holes with their host galaxies
S. Komossa: Observations of Black Hole Mergers and Recoils, and Astrophysical Implications,
Fukun Liu: Electromagnetic Signatures of quiescent Binary Black Holes in Galactic Nuclei,
Lucio Mayer: Gas-rich galaxy mergers and subsequent black hole mergers,
Rainer Spurzem: Gas-poor galaxy mergers and subsequent black hole mergers,
Cole Miller: Formation of stellar-mass black hole binaries,
Peter Predehl: eROSITA and future X-ray studies of black holes,
Luciano Rezzolla: Binary black hole coalescences in numerical relativity,
B. Sathyaprakash: Gravitational waves and their detection,
Bernard Schutz: Expectations of LISA studies of black holes, including measuring cosmological parameters

Important dates

Registration has closed --- if you are interested in participating, please contact the organizers; blackholes2010 [at] mpe.mpg.de
Notification of participants: mid - end of March, 2010
Arrival of participants: June 6, or morning of June 7
Start of workshop: afternoon of June 7
End of workshop: June 11, after lunch
Application form


Accomodation and Venue

The Seminar will take place at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef (PBH) .
Physikzentrum Bad Honnef
Hauptstrasse 5
53604 Bad Honnef
Phone: +49 2224 9010-113 / or -114 / or -117
Fax: +49 2224 9010-130
Phone during the conference: +49 2224 9010-120
The Physikzentrum is located in Bad Honnef, Germany, a small town close to Bonn, situated by the river Rhine between famous Drachenfels mountain and Grafenwerth island. Since 1976 the PBH serves as the principal meeting facility of the German Physical Society (DPG). It offers a secluded setting for research conferences, seminars, and workshops, also offering accommodation for the participants, and it has proven to be an especially stimulating environment. Standard accommodation is in two-bed rooms.

Access to the PBH: The PBH can be easily reached by public transportation from Köln, Bonn, and Frankfurt. Directions to the PBH including a location plan and city map can be found on its homepage.

Accomodation for all participants will be booked by the WE-Heraeus Foundation, based on the arrival/departure information submitted with the registration form, and is either at the Physics Centre itself, or in nearby hotels. Participants will be notified at the end of May.

This seminar is sponsored by the WE-Heraeus-Foundation .

Last update: June 1, 2010