Research in Gravitional Physics

该奖项涉及引力物理的广泛研究，包括经典广义相对论、宇宙学、弯曲时空中的量子场论和量子重力的研究项目。具体的研究主题包括开发一种确定黑洞稳定性的新方法，确定由于粒子对自身施加的引力而对其运动进行的高阶修正，调查牛顿引力中的宇宙学模型描述与广义相对论之间的关系，改进和扩展一种确定引力透镜对极远来源产生的影响的方法，以及开发一种量子引力的方法，使人们能够给出一个微扰的理论定义，而不是选择进行展开的经典背景解。上述许多课题在宇宙学和引力波源模型等领域都有重要的应用，但本研究的主要目的是加深对经典广义相对论和量子广义相对论的数学和物理性质的理解。这一奖项还将使研究生和一名博士后研究助理直接参与拟议研究的所有方面，从而有助于他们的培训。与这项建议有关的一些研究领域引起了公众的极大兴趣，将开展有助于向公众传播科学知识的活动(如公开演讲)。

This award is concerned with a broad range of research in gravitational physics, including research projects in classical general relativity, cosmology, quantum field theory in curved spacetime, and quantum gravity. The specific research topics include the development of a new method for determining the stability of black holes, the determination of the higher order corrections to the motion of a particle due to the gravitational force it exerts upon itself, an investigation of the relationship between the description of cosmological models in Newtonian gravity and in general relativity, improvements and extensions of a method to determine the effects produced by gravitational lensing on extremely distant sources, and the development of an approach to quantum gravity that may allow one to give a perturbative definition of the theory that is independent of the choice of the classical background solution about which one performs the expansion. Many of the above topics have important applications to such areas as cosmology and the modeling of souces of gravitational waves, but the main goal of this research is to obtain a deeper understanding of the mathematical and physical properties of classical and quantum general relativity. This award also will heavily involve the direct participation of graduate students and a postdoctoral research associate in all aspects of the proposed research, and it will thereby contribute to their training. Some of the areas of research associated with this proposal are of considerable interest to the public, and activities (such as giving public lectures) will be undertaken that aid in the dissemination of scientific knowledge to the public.