Relativistic Gravitation and Astrophysics

从天体物理源探测到引力波的可能性将为天文学打开一扇新的窗口，并为爱因斯坦的广义相对论提供新的检验。解释观测结果并推进这一新领域将需要从理论中计算出精确的理论引力波。这个项目将努力提供所需的波形，通过系统地求解爱因斯坦方程的近似称为后牛顿方法。基于高阶后牛顿方法的新型诊断工具的开发将继续进行，以阐明黑洞和中子星双星激励数值模拟的物理内容。使用引力波数据来测试其他重力理论的方法也将被研究。这包括测试标量张量替代理论和引力子有质量的理论，通过观察来自激励致密双星的引力波。这样的测试可以在全新的体制下验证爱因斯坦的理论。研究生、本科生和博士后研究人员的教育和培训将纳入研究计划。PI将继续就与这项研究相关的主题进行公开讲座，将爱因斯坦思想的有效性和含义带给更广泛的社区。他将为网络杂志《相对论生活评论》（Living Reviews in Relativity）准备一篇关于实验万有引力的综合评论文章的更新，并更新他的畅销书《爱因斯坦是对的吗？》，并在他目前的网站上增加一些网页，提供用引力波测试基础物理的信息。运动方程和引力波形式的工作将影响天文学领域，因为依赖于这些计算的引力波观测将成为现实。后牛顿诊断的研究将促进后牛顿专家和数值相对论专家之间更紧密的联系，从而对重要的二元激励的最后阶段进行更真实的模拟。

The likely detection of gravitational waves from astrophysical sources will open a new window for astronomy and provide new tests of Einstein's theory of general relativity. Interpreting the observations and advancing this new field will require accurate theoretical gravitational waveforms calculated from the theory. This project will endeavor to provide the needed waveforms, by solving Einstein's equations systematically in an approximation known as the post-Newtonian method. Development of a novel diagnostic tool, based on higher-order post-Newtonian methods, to elucidate the physical content of numerical simulations of black-hole and neutron-star binary inspiral will be continued. Ways to use gravitational-wave data to test alternative theories of gravity will also be studied. This includes testing the scalar-tensor alternative theories and theories in which the graviton has a mass, by observing gravitational waves from inspiralling compact binaries. Such tests could provide verification of Einstein's theory in entirely new regimes.Education and training of graduate and undergraduate students and of a post-doctoral researcher will be integrated into the research program. The PI will continue to give public lectures on topics related to this research, bringing understanding of the validity and implications of Einstein's ideas to the broader community. He will prepare an update of his comprehensive review article on experimental gravitation for the web-based journal Living Reviews in Relativity, update his popular book ``Was Einstein Right?'' and enhance his current website with web pages providing information on testing fundamental physics with gravitational waves. The work on equations of motion and gravitational wave forms will impact the field of astronomy, as gravitation-wave observations, which rely upon these calculations, become a reality. The research on post-Newtonian diagnostics will foster closer ties between the post-Newtonian experts and numerical relativity experts, leading to more realistic simulations of the important final phase of binary inspiral.