Identifier

etd-11032009-142431

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Physics and Astronomy

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Dynamical systems involving black holes are one of the most promising sources of detectable gravitational waves. Additionally, one expects strong electromagnetic signals whenever matter sources are present. In this dissertation, we study different astrophysical scenarios pertaining the interaction of matter with a black hole. We first investigate the possibility to localize scalar field configurations surrounding a (dynamic) black hole. The analytical study is illustrated by performing numerical simulations that show the evolution of a Klein-Gordon-like scalar field shell surrounding a black hole. Second, we present a method to estimate the gravitational wave frequency at the end of the inspiral phase of a compact binary. This method is applied to study the possibility of a neutron star’s tidal disruption occurring before plunging into the companion black hole, and to provide a way of improving gravitational wave data analysis when using match filtering techniques. Last, we study the effects of a black hole merger on a circumbinary disk. We consider separately the effects of central mass reduction (due to the energy loss through gravitational waves) and black hole recoil (due to asymmetric emission of gravitational radiation), presenting possibly detectable electromagnetic signatures.

Date

2009

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Pullin, Jorge

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.2763

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