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402-0395-00L 8 Credits DR , MSC D-PHYS

Multimessenger and Gravitational Waves Constraints of Gravity

Lecturers & Examiners: Dr. Lavinia Heisenberg
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:22:41

Abstract

The LIGO detections of Gravitational Waves have started the field of Gravitational Wave astronomy. This opens an exiting opportunity to test gravity theories in regimes where it has not been tested yet. Together with standard cosmological observations, one can put tight multimessenger constraints on different cosmological models.

Objective

These lecture series will be dedicated to combining theory with cosmological observations. First of all, I will discuss the consistent construction of prominent gravity theories, both from a geometrical as well as field theory perspectives. I will introduce more general space-time geometries as well as the building blocks of field theories based on additional degrees of freedom in the gravity sector. Coming from the theory side, I will explain the theoretical constraints and consistency checks that can be applied to fundamental gravity theories. In the observational side, the confrontation of gravity theories with cosmological observations is a crucial ingredient in testing these theories. A natural starting point will be the study of the background evolution. Theory parameters can then be constrained using the distance redshift relation from Supernovae, the distance priors method from CMB and BAO measurements. Given the recent developments in gravitational wave physics, I will discuss the implications of alternative gravity theories in the regime of strong gravity.

Resources

Literature

Useful reading materials: cosmology book by Matthias Bartelmann, gravitational waves book by Michele Maggiore and the articles arXiv:1807.01725, arXiv:1806.05195

General Information

Language
English
Levels
DR , MSC

Examination

Type
graded semester performance
The examination of the module consists in the preparation and presentation of a talk on a particular subject of the lecture (approximately 15-20 minutes). The talk is followed by an oral examination of all topics of the course (10-15 minutes). Exam dates will be negotiated at the beginning of the course.

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture with exercise Multimessenger and Gravitational Waves Constraints of Gravity
  • Mon 13:45-15:30 (HIL F 10.3)
  • Tue 09:45-11:30 (HCP E 47.1)
  • 20.02 Date 11:45-13:30 (HIT H 42)
4 h weekly

Offered In