Seeing Black Holes
Date: March 11, 2009 (Wednesday)
Time: 5 pm (Light refreshments from 4.30 pm)
Venue: Lecture Theatre T2, Meng Wah Complex, HKU Map
Medium: English
Admission: Free
Speaker: Professor Kinwah WU
Abstract:
The existence of black holes has been predicted by Einstein's relativity theory. Black holes are very compact gravitating objects. They trap light, warp space and drag the flow of time. However, black holes are also very simple. They have a space-time singularity and an event horizon, and are characterised by only three parameters - the mass, spin and electric charge. It is believed that black holes are ubiquitous. They play a crucial role in regulating the cosmic energy budget and in shaping the structural evolution of the universe.
In spite of many observational supports for the presence of black holes, we have yet to image a black hole directly. High-precision instrumentation and new imaging techniques are being developed to resolve the super-massive black hole at the centre of our galaxy, and seeing a black hole will soon be a reality.
In this lecture, Professor Wu will discuss various aspects of black holes and present his work on radiation transport in black-hole environments. He will show the emission from black-hole systems, what a black hole would look like in the sky and how the black hole's appearance changes with the conditions in its vicinity. The astrophysical applications of his work will also be discussed.
About the Speaker:
Professor Wu Kin-wah is the Chair of Theoretical Astrophysics and Head of Theory, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London. And he has served as the Honorary Professor of the Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong since 2005. His research interests focus on accreting black holes and X-ray sources in nearby galaxies, etc. He is especially interested in radiation transport in black-hole environments. Professor Wu obtained his PhD degree (physics) in Louisiana State University in 1989.
Source: http://www.hku.hk/science/blackholes/
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