Blackfolds and conformal symmetry Seminar

The Blackfold Approach is an effective theory for higher dimensional black holes. In this approach black holes are described as materials: they are characterised by speeds of sound, viscosities and elastic moduli. These transport coefficients uncover a hidden conformal symmetry for general black hole horizons. I will explain how to derive this effective theory from first principles in General Relativity by generalising techniques developed in AdS/CFT contexts. Apart from its intrinsic interest, this approach is a dramatic simplification of the Einstein equations that can be used to tackle important open problems of higher dimensional Gravity.