This award funds theoretical research in several different topics in relativistic astrophysics and general relativity, with a focus on sources of gravitational radiation that might be detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) and by the proposed space based detector, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). The principal topics are: (i) the development of methods to compute the gravitational waveforms from point particles inspiralling into spinning black holes; (ii) the development of theoretical tools for studying tidal interactions of objects with relativistic gravitational fields; (iii) the exploration of properties of black holes in theories with branes and extra dimensions; and (iv) the computation of experimental and theoretical constraints on various alternative theories of gravity that have been proposed as models of the Universe's acceleration.
The work on development of computational methods for gravitational waveforms will eventually have a significant impact on gravitational wave astronomy, by facilitating the detection and analysis of gravitational wave signals, from which we can learn about properties of black holes. Education and training of graduate and undergraduate students will be integrated into the research program.
