Theoretical Studies in Gravitation and Astrophysics

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

The PI will address several problems involving general relativity, the generation of gravitational radiation, relativistic hydrodynamics, radiative transport, and stellar dynamics. A common thread uniting the different theoretical topics is the crucial role of gravitation, especially relativistic gravitation as described by Einstein's field equations of general relativity. Compact objects (black holes and neutron stars) will provide the principal forum, and the understanding the dynamics of matter in a strong gravitational field will be a major theme. Some of the topics that will be investigated include the inspiral and coalescence of binary neutron stars and black holes, the generation of gravitational waves from binaries and other promising astrophysical sources of gravitational radiation, gravitational collapse, the stability of rotating neutron stars and supermassive stars and the final fate of unstable stars, and the formation of supermassive black holes in the cores of galaxies and quasars. Most of the topics that will be addressed represent long-standing, fundamental problems in theoretical physics requiring large-scale computation for solution. Hence the approach will involve to a significant degree large-scale computations on parallel machines, as well as analytical modeling. Many of the numerical calculations will be carried out using the computational resources of the UIUC's National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). Utilizing and developing new algorithms for these computers and visualization tools will help advance state-of-the art computing in the US. The results of the calculations will have an important bearing on forthcoming astronomical observations, including those planned for gravitational wave interferometers, such as LIGO and LISA. The theoretical modeling of gravitational waveforms which will be performed by Shapiro and his group will provide essential input for the identification of sources of gravitational radiation by these instruments.