HET BROWN BAG SEMINAR | Kerr/CFT in the Sky

Astronomical observation suggests the existence of near-extreme Kerr black holes in the sky. Properties of diffeomorphisms imply that dynamics of the high-redshift near-horizon region of near-extreme Kerr are governed by an infinite-dimensional conformal symmetry. This symmetry may be exploited to analytically compute a variety of potentially observable processes. In this talk I will show how we compute the gravitational radiation emitted by a small compact object that orbits in the near-horizon region and plunges into the horizon of such a near-extreme black hole.