PIRSA:19010073

Quantum gravity and black hole spin in gravitational wave observations: a test of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy

Haggard, H. (2019). Quantum gravity and black hole spin in gravitational wave observations: a test of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy . Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/19010073

Haggard, Hal. Quantum gravity and black hole spin in gravitational wave observations: a test of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy . Perimeter Institute, Jan. 24, 2019, https://pirsa.org/19010073 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:19010073,
            doi = {10.48660/19010073},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/19010073},
            author = {Haggard, Hal},
            keywords = {Quantum Gravity},
            language = {en},
            title = { Quantum gravity and black hole spin in gravitational wave observations: a test of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy },
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2019},
            month = {jan},
            note = {PIRSA:19010073 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Hal Haggard

Bard College

Talk number
PIRSA:19010073
Collection
Talk Type
Subject
Abstract

Black hole entropy is a robust prediction of quantum gravity with no observational test to date. We use the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula to determine the probability distribution of the spin of black holes at equilibrium in the microcanonical ensemble. We argue that this ensemble is relevant for black holes formed in the early universe and predicts the existence of a population of black holes with zero spin. Observations of such a population at LIGO, Virgo, and future gravitational wave observatories would provide the first experimental test of the statistical nature of black hole entropy.