Dynamics of Gravitationaly Compact, Extended and Deformed Bodies Moving in Strong Gravitational Fields

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Derivation of the explicit analytic equation of motion for deformable celestial bodies, falling at relativistic speeds in strong gravitational fields, is the goal of this work. Dr. Nordtvedt's work builds on his fully covariant, strong field action principle for the motion of bodies with spherical extensiol, said action principle having been conjectured and made plausible by exact calculations of 1/c2 order motion of such extended bodies. This action principle for extended bodies also reveals the route for including consideration of body deformation on the relativistic motion. Any progress which can be made to more accurately describe the motion of realistic bodies falling in strong gravitational fields will aid in the a-priori calculation of gravitational radiation wave form pulses from the type of astrophysical events which have a likelihood of being observed by gravity wave detectors being constructed through National Science Foundation support. The sensitivity at which detection of the weakest gravity wave signals will be made depends on the precision to which the signal shape theoretical templates can be made.