Rotating black holes in effective theories of gravity

Nowadays, Einstein’s general relativity (GR) is the most accurate theory for the gravitational interaction. Nevertheless, GR is not compatible with quantum mechanics and is expected to be the low-energy description of a more fundamental theory, whose corrections could potentially be detected around those space-time regions where gravity is strongest: black holes.The difficulty for finding or fully controlling potential candidates for such a theory has triggered an effective-field-theory approach to gravity, by which GR gets supplemented by additional new terms to be fixed by experiment.In this regard, non-rotating black holes in effective theories of gravity are quite well understood in the literature, including relevant works by the researcher of this proposal. However, this is no longer true for rotating configurations, for which only a few solutions are known in very special theories beyond GR. Since black holes in Nature are observed to be rotating, it is crucial to generalise such results for rotating solutions. This is precisely the research objective of the project: pioneering the study of rotating black holes in the most general effective theory of gravity. It is the perfect moment for this endeavour, as GR will be tested with far more precision than ever in the coming years.The project will be carried out at the University of Cambridge and supervised by Harvey Reall, author of various seminal works on effective theories of gravity and black holes. Their worldwide reputation will be key for a high impact on the relevant scientific community. Also, the project will have an extremely positive impact on the researcher. The prestige and influence of scientists at the host department, the plethora of opportunities for quality training and the myriads of tools for an efficient two-way transfer of knowledge will provide the researcher with a highly competitive profile for future leading academic positions.