The direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015 has initiated a new
era of gravitational wave astronomy, which has already paid remarkable
dividends in our understanding of astrophysics and gravitational physics. Aimed at advanced
undergraduates and graduate students, this book introduces gravitational waves
and its many applications to cosmology, nuclear physics, astrophysics and
theoretical physics. The material is presented in a pedagogical way, through
Fermi estimates, and detailed explanations and discussions. The student will
not only learn what gravitational waves are and how they are produced, but also
how they can be used to learn about astrophysical phenomena and cosmological
observations, to investigate the interior of neutron stars, and to test general
relativity when black holes and neutron stars collide.
Key Features:
- Provides a concise yet comprehensive treatment of gravitational wave
physics
- Emphasises fundamental physical principles
- Provides a coherent integration of astrophysical and general relativistic
intuition
- Includes carefully chosen problems designed to improve student intuition
- Written by experts in the field
Table of Contents:
1. Overview of Gravitational Radiation
2. Sources of Gravitational Radiation
3. Gravitational Wave Modeling of Binaries
4. Gravitational Wave Detection and Analysis
5. Gravitational Wave Astrophysics
6. Gravitational Wave Cosmology
7. Gravitational Waves and Nuclear Physics
8. Gravitational Waves and Fundamental Physics
A. A Primer on Bayesian Statistics
B. A Primer on Dynamics
C. General Relativistic Calculations of I, Q, and λ
About the Author :
Cole Miller received
his PhD in physics in 1990 from the California Institute of Technology. After
postdoctoral appointments at the University of Illinois and the University of
Chicago, he has been a professor of astronomy at the University of Maryland
since 1999. His research has focused on the astrophysics of black holes,
neutron stars, and gravitational waves.
Nicolás Yunes received his PhD in physics in 2008 from
the Pennsylvania State University. After postdoctoral appointments at Princeton
University and MIT, he was a professor of physics at Montana State University
from 2011-2018, and in 2019 moved to the University of Illinois Urbana
Champaign, where he is a professor and founding director of the Illinois Center
for Advanced Studies of the Universe. His research has focused on the
fundamental physics of black holes, neutron stars, and gravitational waves.
Review :
A relativist of my acquaintance once complained that a text by a different relativist began by telling the reader what a diffeomorphism is not. Let me therefore begin by telling you that this is not a General Relativity textbook. It is also not an astrophysics text book. Rather it is intended as a tool to get a reader (student at the level of BSc + 1 year, or other similarly prepared individual) ready to start research on gravitational waves as efficiently as possible, assuming prior knowledge of classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and classical electrodynamics.
The authors also explain that they wish to encourage readers to develop the habit of doing a "Fermi-style" estimate of whatever they are looking for prior to carrying out a more detailed, rigorous calculation, if the approximate results seem to justify one. Estimating the yield of the Trinity atomic-bomb test by letting pieces of paper fly in the blast wave is given as an example, and the John Wheeler equivalent was the dictum not to do a calculation until you knew the answer. The exercises provided at the ends of each of the eight chapters and two of the three appendices are intended to promote that sort of analysis and so help to develop "physical intuition" in the serious reader.
Virginia Trimble, The Observatory, October 2022
