Black Holes, Gravitational Waves and Radiation Reaction

In the past thirty years super-massive black holes (millions or billions of times the mass of our sun) have been observed in the centers of numerous galaxies. Many stars orbit these black holes and emit gravitational radiation which causes the star to spiral inward and eventually to be swallowed by the super-massive black hole. The characteristics of the gravitational radiation, from both the inspiral and the eventual in-fall of a star, will be theoretically determined. The analysis of data from future gravitational radiation observations will then provide tremendous insight and understanding of strong gravitational fields, the stars in the centers of galaxies and the super-massive black hole itself.

Our place in the universe can only be studied via physics and astronomy. These fundamental sciences catch the attention of the best and the brightest of students. As they see for themselves how mathematics coupled with careful experiments or observations drives the progress in fascinating areas of science, such as black holes and gravitational radiation, these best and brightest will become the next generation of leaders in science and industry.