Gravitational Waves

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Give an oral presentation on an aspect of gravitational-wave theory studied during the course
• Solve relevant problems and motivate the answers in a clear way
• Write a report on an aspect of gravitational-wave theory studied during the course

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Understand the nature of gravitational waves and issues regarding their detection
• Understand the basic ideas of the post-Newtonian approximation and relativistic perturbation calculations

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Obtain simple estimates for gravitational waves from various model sources

Gravitational waves in the weak field approximation :

• Using the TT gauge to understand gravitational waves
• Energy carried by gravitational waves
• Interaction of gravitational waves with detectors

Wave generation and post-Newtonian approximation:

• Mass- and current multipole radiation
• Relativistic perturbation theory

Astrophysical gravitational-wave sources :

• Overview of detectable sources
• Chirping binary systems (the quadrupole formula)
• Tri-axial stars (pulsars and other spinning stars)
• Oscillating stars

The lecturer will provide a structured week-by week programme of self-study, based mainly on printed

notes, but with references to other material as appropriate.

There will be one timetabled hour per week. In week 1 the lecturer will brief the students on the programme of study for the module. In subsequent weeks the students will be expected to meet by themselves, at a designated timetabled hour, for a self-study tutorial session. They will each take responsibility for leading the session, based on guidance from the lecturer given in the intial briefing, supplemented as necessary. There will be a subsequent timetabled office hour where the lecturer can be consulted. In addition a web-based bulletin board for the module will be set up, using the BLACKBOARD system.

Towards the end of the module each student will be required to give a 20 minute presentation on some aspect of the subject. The students will be expected to agree the presentation topics between themselves, which some guidance from the lecturer, so as to minimise overlap between the presentations. The presentation will be assessed by the lecturer, using protocols developed in the department for presentation assessments.

The presentation will contribute 20% to the assessment. An additional 20% will arise from a report on which the presentation is based. This report will normally contain more detail than will be possible in the oral presentation. The remaining assessment will be based on a portfolio of solved problems submitted periodically during the module. A high standard of explanation will be expected in the solutions, and this will form part of the assessment criteria in addition to their mathematical correctness and the scope of the problems submitted.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Individual comments

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback:
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.