The Physics of Black Hole Binaries: geodesics, relaxation modes and energy extraction
Black holes are the simplest macroscopic objects and provide unique tests of General Relativity. They can be compared to the Hydrogen atom in quantum mechanics, and in this same fashion one can think of black hole binaries as the simplest "gravitational molecules". We here report on our ongoing study of the physics of such systems, and present results concerning geodesic and quasinormal mode properties of these spacetimes as well as their interaction with fundamental fields.