Tag Archives: consistency tests
On the Consistency of Published M87* Mass Measurements
A useful way to test a black hole spacetime is not only to ask whether one observational method agrees with Kerr, but to ask whether several independent methods agree with each other. In the case of M87*, this question is … Continue reading
Recent notes on covariance-weighted consistency tests for Kerr parameter estimates
A recurring issue in strong-field tests of General Relativity is the question of how one should compare parameter estimates inferred from genuinely independent observational sectors. In the case of stationary black hole spacetimes, the Kerr hypothesis predicts that all sufficiently … Continue reading
Inspiral-merger-ringdown consistency tests and the reconstruction of Kerr geometry
One of the more conceptually interesting developments in gravitational wave astronomy is the inspiral-merger-ringdown (IMR) consistency test. At a heuristic level, the idea is rather simple: different sectors of a binary black hole coalescence should reconstruct the same final spacetime … Continue reading
Posted in Expository, Notes
Tagged Astrophysics, Black holes, consistency tests, general relativity
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A Consistency Test for Kerr Black Holes via Orbital Motion, Ringdown, and Imaging
Kerr Trisector Closure (KTC) is a consistency test for the Kerr hypothesis that tries to stay honest about what is actually being inferred from data. The guiding principle is simple: if the exterior spacetime of an astrophysical, stationary, uncharged black … Continue reading
Posted in Expository, Notes
Tagged consistency tests, general relativity, gravitational waves, KTC, theoretical physics
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Overdetermined parameter interference in physics
In many areas of physics, a system is described by a small number of fundamental parameters, while the available observations greatly exceed this number. When this occurs, the problem of parameter inference becomes overdetermined. Rather than being a drawback, this … Continue reading
Posted in Expository
Tagged consistency tests, general relativity, KTC
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The Kerr Trisector Closure: A project on internal consistency tests of General Relativity
General Relativity describes gravity as the curvature of spacetime. Mass and energy determine this curvature, and physical phenomena such as orbital motion, gravitational radiation, and the propagation of light are governed by the resulting geometry. In this framework gravity is … Continue reading
Posted in Expository, Projects
Tagged consistency tests, general relativity, gravitational waves, KTC
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