Black hole archaeology with gravitational waves
 

Black holes are the mysterious remnants of heavy stars. Through gravitational waves, we can study the properties of entire populations of black holes for the first time. In this talk I will demonstrate how such studies can be used to learn about particle and nuclear physics in stars. The key insight is that due to an instability in stellar cores, a wide range of initial stellar masses leaves no black hole remnant. The unpopulated space in the stellar graveyard is known as the black hole mass gap (BHMG). The effects of new physics can dramatically alter the late stages of stellar evolution, resulting in shifts of the BHMG. I will give several examples, and demonstrate how these predictions can be tested using the growing catalogue of gravitational wave observations.