Vendredi 15 mars 2013 à 14h15
Auditoire Stueckelberg, Ecole de Physique

Gravitational radiation from compact binary star systems

Luc Blanchet, IAP PAris

To be observed and analyzed by the gravitational wave detectors LIGO and VIRGO on ground and LISA in space, inspiralling compact binaries (binary star systems composed of neutron stars and/or black holes) require high-accuracy templates predicted by general relativity. These very relativistic systems are ideally suited for application of a high-order post-Newtonian gravitational wave generation formalism. In this talk, after general introduction and motivation, we shall review the current state of the art on post-Newtonian methods as applied to the motion and gravitational radiation of compact binary systems. We shall then present some work on the comparison between the post-Newtonian approximation and black hole perturbation theory as applied to compact binary systems with very small mass ratio. Finally we shall discuss some interesting aspect of the dynamics of black hole binaries, which can appropriately be called the "first law of black hole binary mechanics".