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Research Profile
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Since its foundation in 1995, the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics has established itself as a leading international research center. The research program covers the entire spectrum of gravitational physics: from Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity to quantum gravity and string theory. Scientists working in all these areas can interact with one another, learn from one another, and collaborate with one another. The Institute has five divisions: three for theoretical research in Potsdam-Golm, and two experimental physics divisions in Hannover. In addition, there are three independent research groups in Potsdam-Golm, one supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s Sofja Kovalevskaja Award and the others supported by the Max Planck Society.
The Geometric Analysis and Gravitation Division (Golm/Huisken) extends the techniques that have unlocked the basic meaning of the theory. The division is a leader in understanding the local and global properties of solutions to Einstein’s equations, both those that are dynamical and emit gravitational waves, and those that develop singularities, places where the predictive power of general relativity itself breaks down. The division is broadening its research into areas of geometrical mathematics that have proved powerful in studying general relativity in the past and which show great promise for further progress and for applications in numerical relativity and quantum gravity.
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The Astrophysical Relativity Division (Golm/Schutz) specializes in the applications of relativity in astronomy. It has two main groups, one concerned with the search for gravitational radiation and the other with the computer simulation of black holes and their dynamics. The gravitational radiation group analyzes data from the GEO600 gravitational wave detector and its international partners and performs theoretical studies to understand sources of gravitational waves. The numerical relativity group is the largest in the world, and is a leader in the development of collaboration software and Grid utilities that support teams of people making effective use of large parallel supercomputers for solving equations in physics.
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The Quantum Gravity Division (Golm/Nicolai) studies methods for developing a theory of gravitation that replaces general relativity by making it compatible with quantum mechanics, and if possible unifying gravity with the other forces of nature at the same time. There are two main threads to research in this area around the world, called string theory and canonical quantization, and the AEI is one of the few places in the world where scientists study both. It is in this research area that the most fundamental insights and the most exciting changes in our picture of how Nature is organized can be expected.
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The Laser Interferometry and Gravitational Wave Astronomy Division (Hannover/Danzmann) develops and operates the GEO600 gravitational wave detector, in cooperation with its UK partners in Glasgow and Cardiff. The GEO collaboration is a world leader in detector technology. The optical and mechanical systems they designed for GEO600 are planned to be a key component in the upgrade of LIGO. The Division also plays a leading role in the development of the LISA space-based gravitational wave detector, which will be launched in 2020 jointly by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the US space agency NASA. Danzmann is the European CoChair of the LISA International Science Team (LIST), and ESA Mission Scientist. Danzmann is Co-PI for the LISA Pathfinder mission, which will be launched in preparation for LISA by ESA in 2011/12 to test the measurement and control systems designed for LISA.
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The Observational Relativity and Cosmology Division (Hannover/Allen) concentrates on the development and implementation of data analysis algorithms to search for the four different expected types of gravitational wave sources (burst, stochastic, continuous wave, and inspiral). The group is involved in running the distributed computing project Einstein@Home, which searches for gravitational wave signals from pulsars, and has set up large-scale cluster computing facilities for other compute-intensive searches.
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The independent research group on Microscopic Quantum Structure & Dynamics of Spacetime (Golm/Oriti) was established by the award to its leader, Daniele Oriti, of a Sofja Kovalevskaja Prize by the Humboldt Foundation in 2008. The research of the group aims at constructing a complete theory of quantum gravity, which is a quantum theory of gravitational phenomena and of spacetime, valid at all scales of distances and energies. In the appropriate approximation, this theory should reduce to General Relativity.
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The Canonical and Covariant Dynamics of Quantum Gravity research group (Golm/ Dittrich) is also funded by the Max Planck Society under a grant to its leader, Bianca Dittrich, in 2009. Its research focuses on the construction and examination of quantum gravity models. Its aim is to obtain a satisfactory description of the dynamics of quantum gravity theories.
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The independent research group on String Cosmology (Golm/Lehners) is funded by the award of a European Research Council Starting Grant to its leader, Jean Luc Lehners.
The aim of the String Cosmology research group is to enhance our understanding of the very early universe and its most mysterious aspect, the big bang.
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 webteam@aei.mpg.de |
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© 2012, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Potsdam |
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