Dynamics of compact stars in extreme gravitational fields

2015年从黑洞合并中发现引力波标志着引力波天文学的曙光，这是一项巨大的科学发展，获得了2017年诺贝尔物理学奖。引力波是时空结构中的涟漪，由大质量物体的加速运动产生。它们的产生需要在宇宙中找到密度最大的物体，如中子星和黑洞，这些物体必须以极快的速度移动，当它们形成紧密的双星系统时就是这种情况。它们的测量需要大型专用设施，如LIGO和Virgo天文台。探测到几个引力波源，包括黑洞和中子星，是LIGO/Virgo合作的一个伟大胜利，这项工作正在进行中。引力波天文学打开了一扇新的宇宙之窗，可以更好地观察它最黑暗的部分。 我研究的长期目标是利用引力波天文学来大大提高我们对中子星和黑洞的理解。为了达到这个目标，我和我的学生们阐明了当两个这样的物体形成一个紧密的双星时所起的物理作用。例如，一颗中子星星会在伴星中子星星上掀起潮汐，就像月球在地球上掀起潮汐一样，潮汐变形会影响它们的轨道运动和引力波的发射。波上的潮汐印记可以被测量，这将揭示中子星物理学的细节。这是非常令人兴奋的，因为人们对中子星的了解很少，涉及的物质密度远远超过地球上所能发现的。作为另一个例子，两个黑洞之间的潮汐相互作用改变了每个物体的质量和自旋，这可以在发射的引力波中揭示出来。这也是非常令人兴奋的，因为波中的潮汐效应将揭示黑洞的一些最难以捉摸的性质，例如它的事件视界的形状。 这项研究计划的目标是进一步研究中子星和黑洞，以便更好地预测这些物体发出的引力波。为了实现这一目标，我和我的学生将使用理论物理学的技术，操纵黑洞、中子星和引力波的物理定律，以便提取精确的预测，与更广泛的科学界分享。

The 2015 discovery of gravitational waves from merging black holes marked the dawn of gravitational wave astronomy, a tremendous scientific development that was rewarded with the 2017 Nobel Prize in physics. Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime, produced by the accelerated motion of massive bodies. Their production requires the most dense objects to be found in the universe, such as neutron stars and black holes, and these objects must move extremely rapidly, which is the case when they form a tight binary system. Their measurement requires large dedicated facilities such as the LIGO and Virgo observatories. The detection of several sources of gravitational waves, involving both black holes and neutron stars, is a great triumph of the LIGO/Virgo collaboration, and the effort is ongoing. Gravitational-wave astronomy opens up a new window onto the universe, to better observe its darkest reaches. The long-term goal of my research is to exploit gravitational-wave astronomy to dramatically improve our understanding of neutron stars and black holes. To reach this goal, my students and I elucidate the physical processes at play when two such objects form a tight binary. For example, a neutron star raises a tide on a companion neutron star, much as the moon raises a tide on Earth, and the tidal deformation affects their orbital motion and the emission of gravitational waves. The tidal imprint on the waves can be measured, and this will reveal intimate details of the physics of neutron stars. This is very exciting, because neutron stars are poorly understood, involving densities of matter that are far beyond what can be found on Earth. As another example, the tidal interaction between two black holes changes the mass and spin of each object, and this can be revealed in the emitted gravitational waves. This also is very exciting, because the tidal effects featured in the waves will reveal some of the black hole's most elusive properties, such as the shape of its event horizon. The goal of this research proposal is to further the study of neutron stars and black holes, so as to better predict the gravitational waves emitted by such objects. To carry this out, my students and I will use the techniques of theoretical physics, manipulating the laws of physics governing black holes, neutron stars, and gravitational waves, so as to extract precise predictions to be shared with the wider scientific community.