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Christian, Pierre

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Christian

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Christian, Pierre

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2015 - 20173

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Author's Publications: search.filters.isAuthorOfPublication.4e9a6a80-1524-45df-9f68-de2e26a2c90a

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Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Interferometric Measurement of Acceleration at Relativistic Speeds
    (American Astronomical Society, 2017) Christian, Pierre; Loeb, Abraham
    We show that an interferometer moving at a relativistic speed relative to a point source of light offers a sensitive probe of acceleration. Such an accelerometer contains no moving parts, and is thus more robust than conventional "mass-on-a-spring" accelerometers. In an interstellar mission to Alpha-Centauri, such an accelerometer could be used to measure the masses of planets around other stars as well as the mass distribution of the Milky Way Galaxy.
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    Mapping the Dynamics of Cold Gas around Sgr A* through 21 cm Absorption
    (IOP Publishing, 2015) Christian, Pierre; Loeb, Abraham
    The presence of a circumnuclear stellar disk around Sgr A* and megamaser systems near other black holes indicates that dense neutral disks can be found in galactic nuclei. We show that depending on their inclination angle, optical depth, and spin temperature, these disks could be observed spectroscopically through 21 cm absorption. Related spectroscopic observations of Sgr A* can determine its HI disk parameters and the possible presence of gaps in the disk. Clumps of dense gas similar to the G2 could could also be detected in 21 cm absorption against Sgr A* radio emission.
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    LISA detection of binary black holes in the Milky Way galaxy
    (Oxford University Press (OUP), 2017-04-17) Christian, Pierre; Loeb, Abraham
    Using the black hole merger rate inferred from LIGO, we calculate the abundance of tightly bound black hole binaries in the Milky Way galaxy. Binaries with a small semimajor axis (≲10R⊙) originate at larger separations through conventional formation mechanisms and evolve as a result of gravitational wave emission. We find that eLISA could detect them in the Milky Way. We also identify possible X-ray signatures of such binaries.