Astrophysics Webinar

With the observation of multiple binary inspirals, an important question arises: are the components of these binaries true black holes, or could they be exotic compact objects (ECOs)? The “black-holeness” of compact objects can be tested through several observational signatures, one of which is tidal heating. The presence of a horizon in black holes—acting as a one-way membrane that absorbs energy—leads to distinctive energy and angular momentum exchange with the orbit during the late inspiral stages. I will discuss how tidal heating can serve as a probe of black-hole nature, its implications for distinguishing black holes from ECOs, and how this effect influences gravitational waveform modeling.

I will then present a formalism we developed to model asymmetric compact binaries, such as Extreme and Intermediate Mass Ratio Inspirals, embedded in general matter distributions. Inspired by vacuum perturbation theory, this framework captures small deviations from the Schwarzschild metric and allows both metric and fluid perturbations to be expressed through wave equations analogous to the vacuum case. This provides a practical and modular approach for studying the dynamics and gravitational-wave emission of binaries evolving in realistic astrophysical environments.

Building on these studies, I will outline future research directions that promise new insights into the properties of compact objects and the behavior of matter both within and around them.