Theoretical Studies in Gravitation and Astrophysics

PI将解决几个问题，涉及广义相对论，引力辐射的产生，相对论流体动力学，辐射输运，恒星动力学。一个共同的线程连接不同的理论主题是引力的关键作用，特别是相对论引力所描述的爱因斯坦的广义相对论场方程。紧凑的物体（黑洞和中子星）将提供主要论坛，理解强引力场中物质的动力学将是一个主要主题。将研究的一些主题包括中子星和黑洞的螺旋和合并，从双星和其他有希望的天体物理引力辐射源产生引力波，引力坍缩，旋转中子星和超大质量恒星的稳定性和不稳定恒星的最终命运，以及星系和类星体核心中超大质量黑洞的形成。大部分的主题，将被解决代表长期存在的，在理论物理学的基本问题，需要大规模计算的解决方案。因此，该方法将涉及到一个显着degreelarge-scale并行机上的计算，以及分析建模。许多数值计算将使用UIUC的国家超级计算应用中心（NCSA）的计算资源进行。为这些计算机和可视化工具开发和利用新的算法将有助于推动美国最先进的计算技术。 计算结果将对未来的天文观测产生重要影响，包括计划用于引力波干涉仪的观测，如LIGO和丽莎。引力波形的理论建模将由夏皮罗和他的小组进行，这将为这些仪器识别引力辐射源提供必要的输入。

The PI will address several problems involving general relativity,the generation of gravitational radiation, relativistichydrodynamics, radiative transport, and stellar dynamics.A common thread uniting the different theoretical topics is the crucial role of gravitation, especially relativisticgravitation as described by Einstein's field equations ofgeneral 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 theoreticalphysics requiring large-scale computation for solution. Hence the approach will involve to a significant degreelarge-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 advancestate-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 provideessential input for the identification of sources ofgravitational radiation by these instruments.