In this talk we review different applications of quasinormal modes to black hole physics, string theory and thermalisation in quantum field theory. In particular, we describe the the relation between quasi normal modes of AdS black holes and the time scale for thermalisation in strongly coupled, large N conformal field theory. We also discuss the problem of unitarity within this approach.

We calculate the quasinormal modes and associated frequencies of the Bañados, Zanelli and Teitelboim (BTZ) non-rotating black hole. This black hole lives in 2+1-dimensions in an asymptotically anti-de Sitter spacetime. We obtain exact results for the wavefunction and quasi normal frequencies of scalar, electromagnetic and Weyl (neutrino) perturbations. E-mail: [email protected] E-mail:...

We expound in detail a method frequently used to reduce the Dirac equation in D-dimensional (D ≥ 4) spherically symmetric spacetimes to a pair of coupled partial differential equations in two variables. As a simple application of these results we exactly calculate the quasinormal frequencies of the uncharged Dirac field propagating in the D-dimensional Nariai spacetime.

Using the monodromy method we calculate the asymptotic quasinormal (QN) frequencies of an electromagnetic field moving in D-dimensional Schwarzschild and Schwarzschild de Sitter (SdS) black holes (D ≥ 4). For theD-dimensional Schwarzschild anti-de Sitter (SadS) black hole we also compute these frequencies with a similar method. Moreover, we calculate the electromagnetic normal modes of the D-di...

The nonextreme Dp-brane solutions in type II supergravity (in the near-horizon limit) are expected to be dual to (p+ 1)-dimensional noncompact supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories at finite temperature. We study the translationally invariant perturbations along the branes in those backgrounds and calculate quasinormal frequencies numerically. These frequencies should determine the thermalization ...

We establish an exact connection between the Choptuik scaling parameter for the three-dimensional BTZ black hole, and the imaginary part of the quasinormal frequencies for scalar perturbations. Via the AdS/CFT correspondence, this leads to an interpretation of Choptuik scaling in terms of the timescale for return to equilibrium of the dual conformal field theory.

We provide a complete classification of asymptotic quasinormal frequencies for static, spherically symmetric black hole spacetimes in d dimensions. This includes all possible types of gravitational perturbations (tensor, vector and scalar type) as described by the Ishibashi–Kodama master equations. The frequencies for Schwarzschild are dimension independent, while for Reissner–Nordstrøm are dim...

We sketch the results of calculations of the quasinormal frequencies of the electrically charged dilaton black hole. At the earlier phase of evaporation (Q is less than 0.7−0.8M), the dilaton black hole " rings " with the complex frequencies which differ negligibly from those of the Reissner-Nordström black hole. The spectrum of the frequencies weakly depends upon the dilaton coupling. When per...