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Physical Society Colloquium
Roger Blandford Caltech Recent observations have verified that stellar black holes are present in many X-ray binary systems and that massive black holes are generally present in the nuclei of normal galaxies like our own. In addition black holes are probably either formed or augmented in gamma ray bursts and a population of intermediate mass black holes may have been found. Black holes are capable of generating prodigious power through accretion and the release of their spin energy. They are also thought to play a major role in galaxy formation and evolution and the heating of the intergalactic medium. The prospects for understanding more about how black holes behave and, by extension, for verifying predictions of the general theory of relativity are bright.
Friday, November 9th 2001, 15:30 |