Black Holes and Curved Spacetime

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to black holes and the principles of curved spacetime as discussed in the lecture.

Black Hole

An astronomical object with a gravitational pull so strong that not even light can escape.

Singularity

A point within a black hole where spacetime curvature becomes infinite and volume is zero.

Event Horizon

The boundary surrounding a black hole beyond which nothing can escape.

Schwarzschild Radius

The critical radius defining the event horizon of a black hole, given by the equation rs = 2GM/c².

General Relativity

Einstein's theory explaining gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy.

Equivalence Principle

The principle stating that gravitational acceleration is indistinguishable from acceleration due to forces acting on an observer.

Gravitational Redshift

The phenomenon where light loses energy as it escapes a gravitational field, causing its wavelength to increase.

Accretion Disk

A disk of gas and dust that forms around a black hole, heating up and emitting X-rays due to intense gravitational forces.

Tidal Forces

Differential gravitational forces that can stretch and compress objects in a gravitational field, particularly near black holes.

Spaghettification

The process by which objects are stretched and pulled apart due to extreme tidal forces when approaching a black hole.

Photon Sphere

The region around a black hole where gravity is strong enough that photons can orbit the black hole.

LIGO

An observatory for detecting gravitational waves, often involved in the study of merging black holes.

Time Dilation

The effect of time slowing down in a gravitational field compared to time measured in a flat spacetime.

Light Bending

The phenomenon where light follows a curved path due to the curvature of spacetime caused by mass.

Hypernova

A massive star explosion that can occur in stars more than 20 solar masses, capable of forming a black hole.