Gravitation theory and black hole thermodynamics

这项由该奖项支持的研究旨在加深我们对从基础理论到天体物理现象等领域的引力物理的理解。尽管爱因斯坦的引力理论广义相对论得到了许多测试和观测的充分证实，但宇宙学和量子引力中的突出难题促使人们研究各种修改的性质和预测。这项研究将特别研究具有首选参照系的理论。重点将放在此类理论的稳定性和动态可行性上。这项研究的第二个主题涉及与旋转黑洞相关的性质和现象，这是完全引力坍塌的普遍终点。将研究的课题包括对这种黑洞的数学描述，对它们自转速度的限制，以及可能产生极高能量的物质喷流的机制，这些物质被观察到从其邻近区域喷射出来。一种特殊的这种机制涉及集中在表现为弹性弦的管状结构中的磁能。这项研究的第三个领域旨在更好地理解黑洞和其他影响视界的熵的本质。尤其值得一提的是，虽然这一熵似乎符合热力学第二定律，但这一说法的确切含义及其有效性仍不清楚。这项关于广义相对论修正的研究结果将使人们更好地理解广义相对论的可能性和所涉及的问题，并提供新的方法来检验该理论，并在出现反常现象时对其进行解释。关于旋转黑洞的工作将提供对这类物体的动力学行为的洞察，并可能有助于理解它们有时产生的高能喷流的起源。关于黑洞熵的工作试图利用黑洞热力学的诱人线索，利用这些线索来发现可能支配量子引力基本理论的原理。这项研究的结果将通过书面文章以及研讨会、会议演讲和系列讲座来传播。这项研究将通过马里兰大学教授的研究生和本科生课程，以及本科生、研究生和博士后的研究指导，帮助培养这一研究领域和相关领域的未来科学家。此外，PI还将在不同的论坛上向公众发表科学演讲，分享科学提供的关于宇宙和我们在其中的位置的见解和兴奋。

The research supported by this award aims to further our understanding of gravitational physics in areas ranging from fundamental theory to astrophysical phenomena. Despite the fact that General Relativity, Einstein's theory of gravity, is well-confirmed by many tests and observations, outstanding puzzles in both cosmology and quantum gravity motivate investigation of the properties and predictions of various modifications. This research will study, in particular, theories with a preferred reference frame. The focus will be on stability and dynamical viability of such theories. A second theme of the research concerns properties and phenomena associated with spinning black holes, which are the universal endpoint of complete gravitational collapse. Topics to be studied include the mathematical description of such black holes, the limitations on their spin rate, and mechanisms that might produce the extremely energetic jets of matter that are observed to be ejected from their neighborhood. A particular such mechanism involves magnetic energy concentrated in tube-like structures behaving as elastic strings. A third area of the research aims to develop a better understanding of the nature of the entropy of black holes and other influence horizons. In particular, while this entropy appears to obey the second law of thermodynamics, the exact meaning of that statement and its validity remain murky. The results of this research on modifications of General Relativity will produce a better understanding of the possibilities and problems that entails, and new ways to test the theory and to interpret anomalies if such should arise. The work on spinning black holes will provide insight into the dynamical behavior of such objects, and may contribute to understanding the origin of the high energy jets they sometimes generate. The work on black hole entropy attempts to capitalize on the tantalizing hints of black hole thermodynamics, to use those hints to discover principles of that may govern the underlying theory of quantum gravity. The results of this research will be disseminated through written articles, as well as seminars, conference talks, and lecture series. The research will help to train future scientists in both this research area and related fields through graduate and undergraduate courses taught at the University of Maryland, and through the supervision of research by undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs. In addition the PI will give scientific talks to the public in various forums, to share the insights and excitement that science has provided about the universe and our place in it.