Abstract

The 23rd edition of the conference will be dedicated to black holes. Einstein’s gravitational theory predicts the existence of black holes, objects so compact that light cannot escape their gravitational field. Several types of black hole may exist: mini black holes, stellar black holes, and supermassive black holes with millions of solar masses. Experimental evidence for the existence of stellar and supermassive black holes continues to mount, so what was once considered to be science fiction, has now become reality. In this conference, an overview on all aspects of black-hole physics will be given. In particular, we will discuss observations of black holes in galactic centres and in binary systems, the theory of accretion disks, the description of black holes in general relativity and in alternative theories of gravity, as well as the thermodynamics of black holes and Hawking radiation.