Theoretical studies will be carried out in the theory of gravitation where general relativity, statistical mechanics, and quantum theory meet. The principal effort will be to construct a statistical mechanics foundation for gravitation that can also include all other matter fields. From this mechanics, the thermodynamics of black holes and horizons will be deduced and their fluctuations calculated. Emphasis will be on a consistent formulation of quantum field theory in curved spacetime, and the back reaction of these fields on spacetime geometry, including study of structures of possible importance in early cosmology, as well as black holes and cosmological event horizons. The aim ultimately is to develop the statistical mechanics framework as a paradigm for all dynamical processes; therefore, formulation of the description of irreversible processes in the developing framework will be carried out. This classical problem has applications in numerical relativity and astrophysics. It is expected to contribute insights which will be valuable in the search for a correct quantum theory of gravitation.
