HET BROWN BAG | New Physics and the Black Hole Mass Gap

In this talk I will demonstrate the potential of the black hole mass gap to probe new physics. The mass gap, in which no black holes can be formed, is a standard prediction of stellar structure theory. I will show that new physics that couples to the Standard Model can act as an additional source of energy loss in the cores of population-III stars, dramatically altering their evolution, resulting in large shifts of the gap. The gravitational wave observations by the LIGO/Virgo collaboration will bring the edges of the black hole mass gap in sight in the coming years, making this a promising novel probe of new physics.