I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Physics, Charles E. Schmidt College of
Science, of Florida Atlantic
University.
Strongly gravitating systems, such as neutron stars and
black holes
can only be modeled accurately by Einstein's Theory of General
Relativity. Unfortunately, the equations that govern the dynamics
of such systems are highly complex and, in most cases, impossible
to solve without the aid of advanced computer clusters. One of
the most active fields of current research focuses on the study
of gravitational waves (i.e.; small ripples in the spacetime continuum
that propagate at the speed of light). This studies are strongly
driven by the coming on-line of a new generation of gravitational
radiation observatories that carry the promise of revealing the
universe under a completely new light.
Neutron stars and black boles are particularly
difficult to study
by means of conventional astronomy: they are mostly inert objects that
are not particularly bright in any band of the electromagnetic
spectrum. They are, however, specially strong gravitational wave
emitters when found in groups of two (binaries). General Relativity
predicts that two objects orbiting around each other in a binary
will inevitably merge into a single body; either a new black
hole or neutron star. The explosion caused by this merger is one of the
most powerful events known to science.
My research work is focused on modeling numerically
binary neutron stars and black holes and the theoretical prediction of
their
gravitational signature. Comparing the numerical models with
astronomical data will permit testing for the first time the Theory of
General Relativity in the strong field regime.
Neutron stars are the most dense objects in the
universe. However,
very little is known about their internal structure. The type of
particles that can be found at the center of such stars is anyone's
guess. The study of the gravitational signal produced by a binary
neutron star merger will provide unprecedented information about this
super-compact state of matter that is impossible to achieve
by means of earth bound experiments.
