Classical and Quantum Gravitation and Cosmology

宇宙弦网络在我们的宇宙中的影响将根据最近在理解这些网络结构形成方面的进展来研究。主要关注的是引力辐射的发射、宇宙背景辐射温度的扰动以及宇宙中大尺度结构的形成。与非欧几里得拓扑相关的量子引力方面，以及涉及封闭类时曲线的相关问题，将被检查。卡西米尔效应将作为一种支持可穿越虫洞喉咙免受引力坍缩的方法进行研究。广义相对论天体物理学的研究将包括努力描绘快速旋转的中子星的自旋下降，并扩展对相对论恒星和黑洞的正常模式、稳定性和平衡配置的研究。未来十年的观测很可能确定中子星旋转的上限，然后与理论极限进行比较，将严格限制中子星物质的状态方程。被引力坍缩压缩到极高密度的物质的性质将作为广义相对论中避免奇点形成的可能机制进行研究。对于包含高导数微扰项的广义爱因斯坦方程的数值积分，将发展新的方法。

The effects of a network of cosmic strings in our universe will examined in light of recent progress in understanding the formation of structure on these networks. The principle concerns are gravitational radiation emission, the perturbations in the temperature of the cosmic background radiation, and the formation of large-scale structure in the universe. Aspects of quantum gravity associated with noneuclidean topology, and related problems involving closed timelike curves, will be examined. The Casimir effect will be studied as a method for supporting the throat of a traversable wormhole against gravitational collapse. Research in general-relativistic astrophysics will include efforts to portray the spin-down of rapidly rotating neutron stars and to extend work on normal modes, stability and equilibrium configurations of relativistic stars and black holes. Observations during the next decade may well fix the upper limit on neutron star rotation, and comparison with the theoretical limit would then sharply constrain the equation of state of neutron star matter. The properties of matter compressed to very high densities by gravitational collapse will be studied as a possible mechanism for avoiding the formation of singularities in general relativity. New methods will be developed for the numerical integration of the generalized Einstein equations containing higher derivative perturbative terms.