Black Holes in the Sky and Fundamental Physics

The detection of gravitational-waves has opened new avenues for exploring the nature of the universe. Starting with the detection of colliding black holes by the LIGO and Virgo interferometers, the next couple of decades will see the development of many novel observational methods for gravitational-waves. This emerging science brings forward many interesting questions in fields ranging from astronomy to fundamental physics. With this window to the universe, it is exciting to wonder what new physics will be discovered, and how they will change and inform our fundamental understanding of gravity. This talk will explore the ways in which this emerging science, referred to as gravitational spectroscopy, will impact fundamental physics. The detection of black holes can in general be seen as the possible observation of new classes of ultra-compact objects beyond the standard models of particle physics or cosmology. An important scientific goal will be to see if they can all be characterized by the standard black hole in general relativity or require new fundamental physics. We will also discuss important models that can be used to explore these questions with the coming observations, and how gravitational spectroscopy will shed light onto the physics of gravity and quantum gravity more broadly.