The basics of gravitational wave theory
Einstein's special theory of relativity revolutionized physics by teaching us that space and time are not separate entities, but join as 'spacetime'. His general theory of relativity further taught us that spacetime is not just a stage on which dynamics takes place, but is a participa...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2016
|
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101185 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6211-1388 |
| _version_ | 1826214982419742720 |
|---|---|
| author | Flanagan, Eanna E. Hughes, Scott A |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Flanagan, Eanna E. Hughes, Scott A |
| author_sort | Flanagan, Eanna E. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Einstein's special theory of relativity revolutionized physics by teaching us that space and time are not separate entities, but join as 'spacetime'. His general theory of relativity further taught us that spacetime is not just a stage on which dynamics takes place, but is a participant: the field equation of general relativity connects matter dynamics to the curvature of spacetime. Curvature is responsible for gravity, carrying us beyond the Newtonian conception of gravity that had been in place for the previous two and a half centuries. Much research in gravitation since then has explored and clarified the consequences of this revolution; the notion of dynamical spacetime is now firmly established in the toolkit of modern physics. Indeed, this notion is so well established that we may now contemplate using spacetime as a tool for other sciences. One aspect of dynamical spacetime—its radiative character, 'gravitational radiation'—will inaugurate entirely new techniques for observing violent astrophysical processes. Over the next 100 years, much of this subject's excitement will come from learning how to exploit spacetime as a tool for astronomy. This paper is intended as a tutorial in the basics of gravitational radiation physics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:14:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/101185 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:14:23Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1011852022-09-29T19:06:11Z The basics of gravitational wave theory Flanagan, Eanna E. Hughes, Scott A Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research Hughes, Scott A. Einstein's special theory of relativity revolutionized physics by teaching us that space and time are not separate entities, but join as 'spacetime'. His general theory of relativity further taught us that spacetime is not just a stage on which dynamics takes place, but is a participant: the field equation of general relativity connects matter dynamics to the curvature of spacetime. Curvature is responsible for gravity, carrying us beyond the Newtonian conception of gravity that had been in place for the previous two and a half centuries. Much research in gravitation since then has explored and clarified the consequences of this revolution; the notion of dynamical spacetime is now firmly established in the toolkit of modern physics. Indeed, this notion is so well established that we may now contemplate using spacetime as a tool for other sciences. One aspect of dynamical spacetime—its radiative character, 'gravitational radiation'—will inaugurate entirely new techniques for observing violent astrophysical processes. Over the next 100 years, much of this subject's excitement will come from learning how to exploit spacetime as a tool for astronomy. This paper is intended as a tutorial in the basics of gravitational radiation physics. National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant PHY-0244424) United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NAGW-12906) 2016-02-16T13:56:14Z 2016-02-16T13:56:14Z 2005-09 2005-01 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 1367-2630 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101185 Flanagan, Eanna E, and Scott A Hughes. “The Basics of Gravitational Wave Theory.” New J. Phys. 7 (September 29, 2005): 204–204. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6211-1388 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/7/1/204 New Journal of Physics Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0 application/pdf IOP Publishing IOP |
| spellingShingle | Flanagan, Eanna E. Hughes, Scott A The basics of gravitational wave theory |
| title | The basics of gravitational wave theory |
| title_full | The basics of gravitational wave theory |
| title_fullStr | The basics of gravitational wave theory |
| title_full_unstemmed | The basics of gravitational wave theory |
| title_short | The basics of gravitational wave theory |
| title_sort | basics of gravitational wave theory |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101185 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6211-1388 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT flanaganeannae thebasicsofgravitationalwavetheory AT hughesscotta thebasicsofgravitationalwavetheory AT flanaganeannae basicsofgravitationalwavetheory AT hughesscotta basicsofgravitationalwavetheory |