This is an advanced graduate-level course covering the essentials of solving the equations of general relativity numerically. The course website is msunumrel.github.io.
At the conclusion of this course, you should
- understand the basic concepts and equations of general relativity
- be able to solve problems using the tools of relativity
- be able to write software to solve problems in relativity numerically
- understand the theoretical framework for solving Einstein's equations numerically
- understand how black holes can be treated numerically
- understand the physical sources and mechanisms of gravitational wave emission
- be able to solve relativistic problems in both vacuum and matter-dominated spacetimes
Dr. Sean M. Couch
Assistant Professor
Office: 3250 Biomedical and Physical Sciences
Office phone: (517) 884-5035
Office hours: By appointment
[email protected]
www.pa.msu.edu/~couch
The class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:40 pm to 2 pm in N125 Business College Complex (BCC).
Videos of the lectures and lecture notes will be posted to Lectures.
The primary vehicle for communication regarding this course will be Slack.
Specifically, there is a numrel channel in the AstroMSU Slack workspace.
You may use your @msu.edu email address to join this Slack workspace.
Please join this Slack workspace and the numrel channel and participate in discussions.
Discussion of course subject material and problems is encouraged.
You may also send direct messages via Slack to the instructor or any other member of the workspace.
The primary textbook for the majority of this course is Numerical Relativity by Baumgarte & Shapiro. This text is available from the MSU Libraries as an electronic resource available for download.
We will also make use of several chapters from Modern Classical Physics by Thorne and Blandford.
Other useful resources and texts on general relativity that may be used as references are:
Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler (often just referred to as MTW)
General Relativity by Robert Wald
Spacetime and Geometry by Sean Caroll
Lecture Notes on General Relativity by Sean Carroll (the freely-available precursor to the Spacetime and Geometry textbook)
Some of the course assignments will utilize the MSU campus High Performance Computing Center (HPCC). All students must obtain an account on the HPCC. The best way to get an HPCC is through your research mentors. If this is not feasible, talk to the course instructor.
There will be reading and problem sets assigned on a roughly weekly basis. See Assignments for a complete listing. Your solutions to the problems will be checked on a monthly basis. See Schedule for the assigned reading. You will be expected to complete the reading prior to class as not all the reading material will be covered in lecture, but you will need to know it in order to complete the problems.
Group work on the problem sets is encouraged and, in some cases, may be explicitly required. No rule of scholarly activity is more important than giving proper credit to the contributions of others. Although you are free to work with classmates on assignments, you must explicitly acknowledge them by name and indicate their contributions in your final write-up.
Occasionally, you will be required to present solutions to the assigned problems in class. It is critical that you come prepared in these cases. Class participation will be included as part of your final grade.
You will be required to complete a midterm and final project for the course. The midterm project will be individual while for the final project you will be required to work as a group. See Projects for forthcoming details.
There will be no final exam but you will be required to make oral presentations about your final project during the course final exam time, 10 am to 12 pm on May 1 in N125 BCC.
The weights for the course grade are as follows.
| Category | % |
|---|---|
| Problem sets | 40% |
| Midterm project | 20% |
| Final project | 30% |
| In-class participation | 10% |
The final course grade will be assigned based on the following scale.
| Grade | Overall % |
|---|---|
| 4.0 | >=90 |
| 3.5 | >=83 |
| 3.0 | >=76 |
| 2.5 | >=68 |
| 2.0 | >=62 |
| 1.5 | >=55 |
| 1.0 | >=45 |
Your final grade will be no lower than that indicated on the above scale, though it may be higher, depending on overall class performance.
The tentative course schedule is available here. Updates and details will also be made on that page and communicated via the course Slack channel.
As a Spartan, I will strive to uphold values of the highest ethical standard. I will practice honesty in my work, foster honesty in my peers, and take pride in knowing that honor is worth more than grades. I will carry these values beyond my time as a student at Michigan State University, continuing the endeavor to build personal integrity in all that I do.