Studies in Relativistic Physics and Astrophysics

对相对论性致密天体的研究解决了物理学和天体物理学中一些最重要和最基本的问题，包括极端条件下物质的性质，强引力场的性质，中子星和黑洞的性质，以及引力辐射的产生。该奖项将使兰姆教授能够继续对这些问题的研究，建立在NSF先前支持的基础上。具体的研究课题将包括相对论性物体的吸积;中子星的质量，自旋速率和磁场以及它们如何随时间演变;发生在吸积中子星的核过程;吸积和核动力的中子星的生产和演变;中子星物质状态方程的天体物理约束，以及旋转中子星是否产生显着的引力辐射。这些问题将通过详细的分析研究和标度论证以及工作站和超级计算机上的数值计算来解决。除了进行理论分析和数值计算外，兰姆博士将继续参与计划和分析旨在探测致密物质和强引力场性质的观测，并测试有关它们的理论预测。该研究计划将充分利用计算能力的快速发展以及罗西X射线定时探测器、钱德拉天文台和X射线多镜牛顿卫星目前提供的关于黑洞和中子星的丰富新信息，并将提供与探测来自旋转中子星的引力辐射相关的理论结果。该奖项还将有助于支持NSF赞助的研究经验的本科生团队在相对论和计算物理学和天体物理学，兰姆博士监督。此外，一名研究生和一名博士后研究助理将接受理论物理学和天体物理学、数值计算和科学可视化方面的培训。

The study of relativistic compact objects addresses some of the most important and fundamental problems in physics and astrophysics, including the properties of matter under extreme conditions, the character of strong gravitational fields, the properties of neutron stars and black holes, and the generation of gravitational radiation. This award will enable Professor Lamb to continue his research on these problems, building on results obtained with prior support from the NSF. Specific research topics will include accretion onto relativistic objects; the masses, spin rates, and magnetic fields of neutron stars and how they evolve with time; the nuclear processes that occur in accreting neutron stars; the production and evolution of accretion- and nuclear-powered pulsars; astrophysical constraints on the equation of state of neutron-star matter, and whether spinning neutron stars produce significant gravitational radiation. These problems will be addressed by detailed analytical studies and scaling arguments as well as by numerical computations on workstations and supercomputers.In addition to carrying out theoretical analyses and numerical computations, Dr. Lamb will continue to participate in planning and analyzing observations designed to probe the properties of dense matter and strong gravitational fields and to test theoretical predictions about them. The research program will take full advantage of rapid advances in computational capabilities and the wealth of new information on black holes and neutron stars currently being provided by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, Chandra Observatory, and X-ray Multi-Mirror-Newton satellites, and will provide theoretical results relevant to detection of gravitational radiation from rotating neutron stars. This award will also help support the NSF Sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates team in relativistic and computational physics and astrophysics that Dr. Lamb supervises. In addition, a graduate student and a postdoctoral research associate will be trained in theoretical physics and astrophysics, numerical computation, and scientific visualization.