I’m a theoretical physicist studying black holes and gravitational waves. My research explores the environments surrounding black holes and their impact on gravitational-wave astronomy. One particularly intriguing case involves environments composed of ultralight scalar or vector fields. Through a process known as superradiance, these fields can extract energy and angular momentum from rotating black holes, forming dense “clouds” around them.
To investigate the formation and evolution of these clouds, and their influence on binary black hole systems, I use a combination of analytical modelling, perturbation theory, and numerical relativity simulations. By predicting the resulting gravitational-wave signatures, my goal is to use black holes as natural particle detectors, probing new fundamental fields such as the QCD axion or other dark matter candidates.
If you’re interested in these topics, feel free to get in touch by email or stop by my office!