Advanced Gravitational Physics

The goal of this course is to provide the students with the required theoretical background to understand modern applications of perturbation theory in General Relativity, with an emphasis on the production of gravitational waves of observational relevance and on the anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB).

At the end of the course the student will:

· Have a deep knowledge of the metric describing an axisymmetric rotating object (Kerr Metric)
· Know how to formulate a relativistic perturbation theory in General Relativity and its gauge ambiguities;
· Know how to solve, perturbatively, for the emission of gravitational radiation by objects of astrophysical and cosmological relevance, e.g. black holes, pulsars, and neutron stars;
· Be familiar with the modern techniques to detect gravitational waves;
· Know how to solve the equations governing the evolution of density perturbations in the Early Universe in a regime where General Relativity cannot be ignored;
· Be familiar with the dependence of the anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave background on cosmological parameters;
· Have basic knowledge of application of effective field theories to gravity;
· Be able to understand which astrophysical and cosmological problems require a relativistic description and which strategies to use in order to find a solution.