Weekly Space Hangout - Dr. Kevin Croker Explains "Cosmological Coupling"

https://youtu.be/Mgnsd1eoekE [Editor Rich: I’m not sure that there’s anything we can do about the audio dropout problem till Fraser can move into his new house/studio next summer. Please bear with us while we try to be flexible. Thank you!] Host: Fraser Cain ( @fcain ) Special Guest: This week marks the final episode of 2021, and we are excited to welcome Dr. Kevin Croker from University of Hawai’i at Mānoa! Kevin led a team that compared data from simulated black hole mergers with that from gravitational waves detected by the LIGO–Virgo collaboration. This comparison led to a surprising conclusion: ignoring the expansion of the universe may be limiting the scientific understanding of black-hole physics. The team hypothesizes that that as the universe expands outward following the Big Bang, all objects with mass grow as well - and Black Holes are no exception. This new process has been dubbed "Cosmological Coupling."   Kevin Croker is a theoretical astrophysicist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa. He received his PhD in Hawai`i under the supervision of Dr. John Learned, with guidance from Dr. Joel Weiner in the Department of Mathematics and members of the Institute for Astronomy.   Kevin's research focuses on formal aspects and observational consequences of Einstein's theory of gravitation, General Relativity.   Prior to graduate training in physics, Kevin worked as lead engineer for the underground radio station KWUR 90.3FM at Washington University in St. Louis, where he received an undergraduate degree in Computer Science.   He is a Fulbright program alumnus and enjoys living, working, and exploring in any place that will have him.   You can read about Kevin's research in articles at PhysicsWorld: https://physicsworld.com/a/cosmologic... and LiveScience: https://www.livescience.com/black-hol...     The research is also described in The Astrophysical Journal Letters: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10... Regular Guests: Dr. Kimberly Cartier ( http://KimberlyCartier.org & @AstroKimCartier ) Dave Dickinson ( http://astroguyz.com/ & @Astroguyz ) This week's stories: - JWST! - Planets gone rogue? - What’s coming up in 2022.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].