Gravitational waves

Duration

10h Th, 5h Pr

Number of credits

Lecturer

Jean-René Cudell

Language(s) of instruction

English language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

Study of the properties of gravitational waves in General Relativity.


Contents
1 & 2. Gravitational waves in Minkowski spacetime.
3. Gravitational waves on an expanding and on a curved background.
4. Discussion R1
5 & 6. Detection of gravitational waves
7. Discussion R2
8 & 9. Sources of gravitational waves
10. Discussion R3
 

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

These lectures will detail the main properties of gravitational waves, and help students understand how to detect and produce them.
At the end of the course, the students will be able:
1) to calculate the intensity and polarisation of gravitational waves from a given source
2) to calculate the effects of gravitational waves on specific detectors
 

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Relativité générale, partim 3 The course proceeds from Einstein's equations. The concepts of curvature tensor and energy-momentum tensor are also assumed to be known.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

This course is based on lectures,  and to discussion sessions where problems (see the course webpages for the list) are discussed, as shown in the table of contents. The problems will be solved by the students, under the guidance of the instructor. Preparing them is strongly advised.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

The references for each lecture, notes and the list of problems are available on the course web pages.

Organisational adjustments related to the current health context

Recommended or required readings

Sean Carrol, Lecture Notes on General Relativity, chapter 6

Assessment methods and criteria

Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.

Any session :

- In-person

written exam AND oral exam

- Remote

written exam AND oral exam

- If evaluation in "hybrid"

preferred remote


Additional information:

Written exam, followed by a discussion. The first question is on the theory, and the list of possible questions is available on the course web pages (it is subject to change during the year). The second question (given after the theory question is returned) is an open-book exercise. The written part lasts 2 hours.
If the colour code of the pandemic is yellow or green, the examination will be held in person. Otherwise, it will be held on Lifesize.

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

The course will be organised in 10 one-and-a-half-hour lectures/discussion sessions (see contents).

Contacts

Jean-René Cudell
Institute of physics  19A Allée du 6 août Bldg B5a (4th floor, room 4/44) Université de Liège Tél. : 04/3663654
E-mail: jr.cudell@uliege.be
Web pages: http://www.theo.phys.ulg.ac.be

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