Theoretical and Numerical Studies in Gravitation and Relativistic Astrophysics

将开始对引力物理和相对论天体物理学中的一系列问题进行理论和数值研究。感兴趣的主题包括(1)数值相对论技术的发展及其在引力辐射源建模和探索非线性动态时空中的应用；(2)恒星与大质量黑洞近距离接触时潮汐扰动的数值模拟，以及扰动与活动星系核的可能相关性；(3)吸积盘和恒星的磁流体风的计算和广义相对论MHD数值格式的发展；(4)对新发现的日蚀毫秒脉冲星1957+20的研究。这项工作的目标是获得对自引力和动力系统以及高能（相对论）现象的更深层次的理解。许多这些物理研究依赖于大规模数值模拟技术的使用。因此，这些研究的有用副产品几乎都是新的和精细的数值算法。与日蚀脉冲星1957+20有关的项目更具有现象学性质，并依赖于理论计算和观测证据之间的密切相互作用。

Theoretical and numerical studies will be initiated for an array of problems in gravitational physics and relativistic astrophysics. Topics of interest include (1) development of techniques in numerical relativity and their application in modeling sources of gravitational radiation and in exploring nonlinear, dynamical spacetimes; (2) numerical modeling of the tidal disruption of stars during close encounters with massive black holes and the possible relevance of disruption for feeding active galactic nuclei; (3) the calculation of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) winds from accretion disks and stars and the development of a general relativistic MHD numerical scheme; and (4) a study of the recently discovered eclipsing millisecond pulsar 1957+20. The goal of this work is to acquire a deeper understanding of self-gravitating and dynamical systems and of high energy (relativistic) phenomena. Many of these physical studies rely upon the use of large-scale numerical modeling techniques. Accordingly, useful byproducts of such studies are almost invariably new and refined numerical algorithms. The project relating to the eclipsing pulsar 1957+20 is of a more phenomenological nature and relies upon the close interplay between theoretical calculation and observational evidence.