Title: Quantum Liquids and Turbulent Black Holes

Abstract:

  The physics of black holes is amazingly rich, with deep connections to basic physical questions that nominally have nothing to do with gravity. For example, the response of a black hole to accreting mass is intimately connected to the response of a quantum liquid to being stirred.  In this colloquium I will describe this "holographic" connection and use it to draw lessons about turbulent fluids, disordered quantum systems and black hole dynamics. For instance, a detailed study of gravitational dynamics reveals the surprising fact that superfluid turbulence in two dimensions can decay and dissipate energy like normal fluid turbulence in three dimensions.  Conversely, familiar facts about turbulent flows imply that the horizons of certain accreting black holes behave like fractals with dimension 10/3. 

 

Host: Ira Rothstein