Thesis

High energy processes inside a black hole

• Call:

  IDPASC Portugal - PHD Programme 2015

• Academic Year:

  2015 / 2016

• Domains:

  Theoretical Particle Physics | General Relativity

• Supervisor:

  Pedro Avelino

• Co-Supervisor:

  Carlos Herdeiro

• Institution:

  Universidade do Porto

• Host Institution:

  Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto and Universidade de Aveiro

• Abstract:

  High energy processes inside a black hole" The inner horizon of the standard rotating and charged black hole solutions of general relativity is unstable against perturbations. The non-linear growth of this instability is known as "mass inflation". The purpose of this thesis is to understand, within the framework of general relativity, the interior of realistic astrophysical black holes and, in particular, the physics of "mass inflation" which acts as a particle accelerator, accelerating particle streams to prodigiously high energies. Various analytic and numerical tecnhiques will be used (homogeneous approximation, self-similar approximation and the use of existing numerical codes, as well as potentially writting new ones). Part of the work will be done with Prof. Andrew Hamilton, at the University of Colorado, where the candidate may spend some time. Prof. Hamilton is also a world leader on visualisation software for black hole physics http://casa.colorado.edu/~ajsh/