Classical and Quantum Gravitation and Cosmology

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The effects of a network of cosmic strings in our universe will examined in light of recent progress in understanding the formation of structure on these networks. The principle concerns are gravitational radiation emission, the perturbations in the temperature of the cosmic background radiation, and the formation of large-scale structure in the universe. Aspects of quantum gravity associated with noneuclidean topology, and related problems involving closed timelike curves, will be examined. The Casimir effect will be studied as a method for supporting the throat of a traversable wormhole against gravitational collapse. Research in general-relativistic astrophysics will include efforts to portray the spin-down of rapidly rotating neutron stars and to extend work on normal modes, stability and equilibrium configurations of relativistic stars and black holes. Observations during the next decade may well fix the upper limit on neutron star rotation, and comparison with the theoretical limit would then sharply constrain the equation of state of neutron star matter. The properties of matter compressed to very high densities by gravitational collapse will be studied as a possible mechanism for avoiding the formation of singularities in general relativity. New methods will be developed for the numerical integration of the generalized Einstein equations containing higher derivative perturbative terms.