The fascinating physics of black holes

The Italian physicist Dr Simone Albanesi is conducting research as a Humboldt Fellow in Prof. Dr Sebastiano Bernuzzi’s Gravitational Theory group at the Institute of Theoretical Physics at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Born in Turin, he is investigating gravitational waves emitted by binary black holes. “I am investigating gravitational waves from systems consisting of two black holes with non-circular orbits, including highly eccentric binary systems and scattering events,” says Simone Albanesi. The aim is to develop precise theoretical models that can be used by gravitational wave observatories to detect and interpret such signals. 

Testing Einstein´s predictions using state-of-the-art technology   

Simone Albanesi’s work contributes to the development of such models. These can then be used to study populations of black holes and to test the General Theory of Relativity. The General Theory of Relativity, which goes back to Albert Einstein, is currently the best theory of gravity, says Albanesi: “These models can help us investigate possible deviations from the General Theory of Relativity in extreme astrophysical environments.” This involves, for example, the distribution of mass and spin in black holes. Spin describes the rotation of the black hole. However, this is still a long way off, says Simone Albanesi; for now, the priority is to focus on developing these theoretical models for binary black holes. 

Involved in international gravitational observatories  

Simone Albanesi’s particular interest lies in gravitational waves from binary black holes. These are ripples in spacetime that arise when very large masses are accelerated to extreme speeds. The phenomenon was predicted by Albert Einstein as early as 1916 and was first directly detected in 2015. “In particular, I investigate systems with non-circular orbits, such as elliptical binary systems, scattering events and dynamic capture processes. I use a combination of effective one-body models, numerical relativity simulations and perturbation theory for black holes,” says Dr Albanesi. These waveform models are important for current detectors such as the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration. The international observatory network operates stations in the USA, Italy and Japan and has already recorded hundreds of gravitational wave events. Simone Albanesi uses data from these three stations for his research. This also applies to the Einstein Telescope, which is planned for Europe, and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) satellite project.       

A Humboldt Fellow in Jena until spring 2028

Simone Albanesi studied physics in Turin. He went on to complete a PhD following his Master’s degree in Theoretical Physics. Both his Master’s thesis and his PhD research focused on gravitational waves from non-circular binary black holes. Albanesi moved to Jena two years ago: “Jena is a lovely city to live in.” This applies just as much to the natural surroundings of Jena as it does to the university. Simone Albanesi values the excellent research opportunities and his research group; both make Jena a great place for research, he says. The Turin native has been working as a Humboldt Fellow since April; the fellowship was awarded for two years.