Lior M. Burko

On the Limitations of Thought Experiments in Physics and the Consequences for Physics Education.

Thought experiments (TEs) play a central role in physics. Wesuggest that erroneous TEs may be as important as correct TEs,and that both have a special role in an ongoing process ofconceptual refinement for physicists and for naive physicslearners. We analyze TEs related to stellar evolution andgeneral relativity made by Schwarzschild, Eddington, Landau,and Einstein. We identify the stages at which crucial errorsare done in these TEs, and the cognitive processes which leadto these errors. We argue that necessary conditions for asuccessful TE (i.e., a TE which leads to correct conclusions)are self-consistency and comprehensiveness of the relevantpicture of the world. We show that the TEs by expert physicistsand TEs by students are similar on a metacognitive level, butdifferent in details. Students erroneous reasoning occur inall stages of a TE, whereas physicists usually make errors inthe first two stages of TEs. Then we bring evidence that Tesare more prone to errors than laboratory experiments. Next wediscuss the implications for naive physics learners, and makesuggestion for using TEs in physics education.

Universality of massive scalar field late-time tails in black-hole spacetimes

The late-time tails of a massive scalar field in the spacetime of black holes are studied numerically. Previous analytical results for a Schwarzschild black hole are confirmed: The late-time behavior of the field as recorded by a static observer is given by

3D simulations of linearized scalar fields in Kerr spacetime

ensuremath{psi}(t)ensuremath{sim}{t}^{ensuremath{-}5/6}mathrm{sin}[ensuremath{omega}(t)ifmmodetimeselsetexttimesfi{}t],

Radiative falloff in the background of rotating black holes

where

Towards a Wave-Extraction Method for Numerical Relativity: II. The quasi-Kinnersley Frame

ensuremath{omega}(t)

A Radiation scalar for numerical relativity

depends weakly on time. This result is carried over to the case of a Kerr black hole. In particular, it is found that the power-law index of

Black-hole singularities: a new critical phenomenon.

ensuremath{-}5/6

Radiation tails and boundary conditions for black hole evolutions

depends on neither the multipole mode

Towards a wave-extraction method for numerical relativity. I. Foundations and initial-value formulation

mathcal{l}

Periodic standing-wave approximation: Overview and three-dimensional scalar models

nor on the spin rate of the black hole