Strong Gravitational and Electromagnetic Fields

爱因斯坦发现的广义相对论告诉我们，我们熟悉的、日常的引力是一种更奇怪的东西的表现：物质弯曲时空的几何形状。通过电磁辐射或引力效应的窗口观察到的许多最引人注目的天体物理现象都发生在强引力场和/或电磁场的区域。像从星系中心喷出的相对论性喷流，或者在超新星爆炸中标志着大质量星星死亡的现象，都是只能通过同时仔细描述引力场和电磁场来解释的场景的例子。由超新星爆炸产生的中子星星的磁场比最强的人造磁铁强10亿倍。 它的引力场可以如此强大，以至于中子星星表面的一勺物质可以和地球上的一座山一样重。 该奖项支持对中子星和黑洞的强场环境的研究，这些强场现象在这些天体中尤为突出。要研究的具体系统是围绕黑洞运行的点质量以及恒星和黑洞附近的磁主导（无力）等离子体。 这些技术主要是分析性的，而不是数字性的。在一个快速旋转的黑洞附近运行的点质量上的自作用力效应将被计算并用于通知天体物理源建模以及测试宇宙审查猜想的思想实验。 自作用力的方程将在替代规范和替代引力理论中表述。 将通过利用时空方法和开发新的微扰技术找到新的无力解决方案，总体目标是广泛了解无力电动力学及其在从天体物理黑洞提取电磁能量方面的应用。 该项目将有助于培养博士生。研究结果会透过研究刊物，新闻文章及公开讲座（如适用）向公众公布。

The General Theory of Relativity discovered by Einstein tells us that the familiar, everyday force of gravity is a manifestation of something much stranger: the bending of the geometry of space-time by matter. Many of the most dramatic of observed astrophysical phenomena, seen through the windows of electromagnetic radiation or gravitational effects, occur in regions of strong gravitational and/or electromagnetic fields. Phenomena like relativistic jets outpouring from centers of galaxies or those marking the death of a massive star in a supernova explosion are examples of scenarios that can only be explained by carefully describing gravity and electromagnetic fields simultaneously. The magnetic field of the neutron star that results from a supernova explosion can be a billion times stronger than the strongest human-made magnets. Its gravitational field can be so strong that a spoonful of matter at the neutron star surface can weigh as much as a mountain on Earth. This award supports research on the strong-field environments of neutron stars and black holes, objects for which these strong-field phenomena are especially prominent.The specific systems to be studied are point masses orbiting black holes and magnetically dominated (force-free) plasmas near stars and black holes. The techniques are mainly analytical as opposed to numerical. Self-force effects on a point mass orbiting near a rapidly spinning black hole will be computed and used to inform astrophysical source modeling as well as thought experiments testing the cosmic censorship conjecture. Equations for the self-force will be formulated in alternative gauges and alternative gravitational theories. New force-free solutions will be found by exploiting spacetime methods and developing new perturbative techniques, with an overall goal of developing a broad understanding of force-free electrodynamics and its application to electromagnetic energy extraction from astrophysical black holes. The project will contribute to the training of Ph.D. students, and the research results will be disseminated to the public through research publications as well as news articles and public lectures where appropriate.