Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2012
Volume 57, Number 3
Saturday–Tuesday, March 31–April 3 2012; Atlanta, Georgia
Session T6: Invited Session: Perspectives in Gravitational Physics |
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Sponsoring Units: GGR Chair: James Isenberg, University of Oregon Room: Embassy C |
Monday, April 2, 2012 3:30PM - 4:06PM |
T6.00001: Perspectives in Gravitational Physics Invited Speaker: Beverly K. Berger A personal view of the evolution (and occasional revolution) in gravitational physics over the past ten years will be provided through a comparison of ``hot topics'' ten years ago with current ones. Attention will focus on gravitational wave science, theoretical and experimental foundations of general relativity, and aspects of quantum gravity. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, April 2, 2012 4:06PM - 4:42PM |
T6.00002: Perspectives on Geometrodynamics: The Nonlinear Dynamics of Curved Spacetime Invited Speaker: Kip S. Thorne In the 1950s John Archibald Wheeler exhorted his students and colleagues to explore ``Geometrodynamics,'' i.e. the dynamical behavior of curved spacetime, as predicted by Einstein's general relativity theory. Unfortunately, the research tools of that era were inadequate for the task. This has changed over the past ten years and will change further in the coming decade, thanks to two new sets of tools - numerical relativity, and gravitational wave observations, coupled to theory. In this lecture, I will review the progress and prospects for geometrodynamics, focusing especially on: 1. Geometrodynamics near singularities, 2. Geometrodynamics triggered by colliding black holes, 3. Geometrodynamics triggered by black-string instabilities in four space dimensions, and 4. Preparations for observing the dynamics of curved spacetime with interferometric gravitational wave detectors: LIGO and its international partners. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, April 2, 2012 4:42PM - 5:18PM |
T6.00003: Perspectives on relativistic astrophysics in the century's first decade Invited Speaker: John Friedman Among the fundamental questions in astrophysics facing us at the start of the 21st century are the nature of matter above nuclear density and the a detailed understanding of the universe's most energetic events. This talk will briefly review some of major advances associated with these problems and some of the key problems that remain. Breakthroughs in numerically solving the Einstein-Euler equations and the anticipated dawn of gravitational wave astronomy led to striking advances in simulating the inspiral and merger of double neutron star systems and -- following the binary black-hole triumph -- of neutron star - black hole systems. Advances in understanding the linear and nonlinear modes of rotating neutron stars emerged from these codes and from the development of second-order perturbation theory. The extreme-mass-ratio-inspiral of black holes and neutron stars to galactic black holes was understood to first-order in the mass ratio, but second-order accuracy, self-force, and resonant behavior will all be needed in the next decade. Converging efforts in numerical relativity and data analysis has provided initial estimates of the accuracy with which one can extract from gravitational waveforms the physical characteristics of their sources. [Preview Abstract] |
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