The Hitchhiker's Guide to Black Holes

Guest Speaker

Thursday, 14th January 2021 (19:45 - 22:00)

Venue: Virtual Meeting

Black holes are probably the astronomical objects that top every chart in terms of capturing people's imagination. How is it possible for something to absorb anything that falls within its boundaries, even light, without allowing it to escape? How do black holes form? Do black holes really exist? What would happen if someone was to fall into a black hole? This talk will offer a walkthrough for the non-scientist about the fundamental principles of black holes and will be the perfect opportunity to obtain an answer to all of above questions, and more.

Speaker: Prof. Rene Breton

Rene Breton received his Ph.D. in Physics from McGill University, Canada, in 2009. He is a Reader at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at The University of Manchester and he currently holds a prestigious European Research Council Starter Grant. His main research interests revolve around the study of pulsars, which he uses to attempt to understand matter under extreme density, gravity, and magnetic fields. Some of his past work enabled us to test 'geodetic spin precession' - a phenomenon predicted to exist in General Relativity - for the first time in the strong gravity environment. Rene also has a keen interest in science communication. He co-funded Pulsar Hunters, a citizen science project seeking help from volunteers to find new pulsars.

Learn more about Prof. Rene Breton