Gravitational Waves, Radiation Reaction, and Black Hole Systems

引力波是时空结构中的涟漪。从黑洞发射的引力波将被研究。黑洞可能是已知的天体物理宇宙中最不寻常的物体。一个由黑洞（或中子星）组成的紧密双星系统会发出引力波，并在黑洞相互绕转并缓慢向内旋转时损失能量。一颗恒星在围绕一个超大质量黑洞的高度偏心轨道上的看似随机的轨迹，实际上可以通过仔细的理论分析来跟踪数千个轨道。在这些系统中发射的引力波的细节将基于我们对引力和天体物理学的最佳理解，从理论上确定。在黑洞双星系统的许多轨道上发射的引力波的特征的详细知识极大地帮助了正在进行的观测引力波的实验努力。同样重要的是，这些知识还允许对观测结果进行解释，一旦观测完成，就可以利用有关引人注目的天体物理系统和引力理论的前所未有的信息，探索可以想象到的最强引力场。此外，探测到来自黑洞双星系统的引力波将为宇宙打开一扇新的窗口，激发科学和数学各个领域学生的兴趣，激发每个公民的想象力。

Gravitational waves are ripples in the very fabric of spacetime. The emission of gravitational waves from black holes will be investigated. Black holes are, perhaps, the most unusual objects in the known astrophysical universe. A close binary system of black holes (or neutron stars) emits gravitational waves and loses energy while the holes orbit each other and slowly spiral inwards. The seemingly random trajectory of a star in an highly eccentric orbit about a supermassive black hole can actually be followed for thousands of orbits by use of careful theoretical analysis. The details of the emitted gravitational waves in such systems will be determined theoretically, based upon our best understanding of gravity and astrophysics.Detailed knowledge of the features of the gravitational waves emitted during many orbits of a black hole binary system greatly aids the ongoing experimental effort to observe gravitational waves. Equally importantly, this knowledge also allows interpretation of the observations, once they are made, and provides a probe into the strongest gravitational fields imaginable with unprecedented information about dramatic astrophysical systems, and the theory of gravity. Further, the detection of gravitational waves from black hole binary systems will open a new window on the universe, stir up interest for students in all areas of science and mathematics and capture the imagination of every citizen.