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Black holes and the 2020 Nobel Physics Prize

By: Carlos A. R. Herdeiro
From: Departamento de Matemática da Universidade de Aveiro
At: Online - Zoom (https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/88311942996)
[2020-11-05] 10:00

Black holes are trapped spacetime regions. They are an early prediction of Einstein's General Relativity, but their theoretical understanding and acceptance as real (astro)physical objects was a difficult and gradual process. In this talk, I will review the history of this concept, discussing both its theoretical development and their observational evidence. Both of these were instrumental for the acceptance of the physical reality of black holes. The 2020 Nobel physics prize to Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez, is a recognition that black holes, albeit still mysterious, are a sound concept and, evidence suggests, an important part of the physical Universe.