CAREER: Research and Education in Gravitational Wave Astronomy and Gravitation Physics

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Theoretical research in several different areas of gravitational wave astronomy, and also in areas of gravitation physics and relativistic astrophysics will be studied. The principal topics are: (A) theoretical simulations of the accuracy with which a network of gravitational wave detectors will be able to measure the distances to and masses of coalescing binary neutron stars, the most promising expected type of source; (B) investigations of how this accuracy will be improved by the construction, now being considered, of additional detector systems in Japan and/or Australia; (C) determining the required level of accuracy for theoretical template waveforms that will be used to analyze the experimental data; (D) developing new calculational tools that will be useful in future calculations of low frequency waves from supermassive black holes; (E) exploring quantitatively the prospects for measuring gravitational waves from distant black hole --- black hole mergers, both by ground based detectors and possible future space-based detectors; (F) an exploration of the effects of `anti-gravity` that occur when quantum fields are coupled to classical gravity, motivated by the expectation that this phenomenon will yield insight into the nature of quantum gravity; (G) theoretical explorations of the structure of a black hole's interior which probe deeply into the theoretical structure of general relativity and bring out its poorly-understood nonlinear features. In addition a comprehensive introductory course will be developed and taught at Cornell to graduate students and interested faculty, covering the various aspects of gravitational wave astronomy: the physical properties of the waves as predicted by general relativity, the experimental technology to detect them, the catalogue of anticipated sources, and the information we hope to extract from the waves about the nature of gravity, about cosmology, and about the various sources. The lecture notes will be made available on the world wide web so as to be accessible to a wide audience beyond Cornell. These web pages will be periodically updated to bring them up to date with the latest theoretical and experimental research in the field, thus tying the educational facility closely to current research. In summary, it is hoped that the course will contribute to curriculum development, foster interdisciplinary interactions, and disseminate specialized knowledge to a wide audience.