Lee Lindblom
University of California-San Diego, CA·Physics
Gravity becomes extreme near neutron stars and black holes, the ultra-dense remnants of collapsed stars. It also shapes the structure of the universe as a whole.
- Fields
Physics
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Mathematics & Statistics
- Topics
general relativity
numerical relativity
Einstein's equations
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jul 2027
What they work on
- Develop a way to determine the neutron-star equation of state, the pressure–density relationship of matter inside neutron stars, from observations and strong-gravity theory, without assuming any particular microphysics of that matter.
- Develop numerical relativity techniques that solve Einstein's equations of gravity on computers for spaces with arbitrary spatial topologies, not just simple flat or spherical geometries.
- Explore whether gravitational fields show an analog of the turbulent cascade in fluids, where energy moves from large scales to small ones, using these new numerical relativity methods.
- Simulate cosmological models numerically to find out whether, and how, a non-trivial topology of the universe could be recognized through astronomical observations.
More about the research
These problems are governed by Einstein's equations, the core equations of general relativity, and the equations are often too complex to solve by hand. This project develops mathematical and computational methods to study strong gravitational fields in neutron stars, black holes, gravitational waves (ripples in spacetime) and the large-scale structure of the cosmos.
Why it matters
Measuring how matter behaves inside neutron stars could inform laboratory nuclear physics on Earth, because these stars contain matter far denser than any experiment can create. New methods for simulating gravity across the whole universe may also advance computational mathematics. They could help researchers test whether the universe's overall shape leaves a signature that telescopes can detect.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Wolfgang Tichy
Florida Atlantic University, FL·Astronomy & Astrophysics
Simulate binary neutron star mergers containing dark matter across a range of dark matter fractions, particle masses, mass ratios and spins with the BAM code, to set limits on dark matter in neutron stars.
Rodolfo Barniol Duran
California State University-Sacramento, CA·Astronomy & Astrophysics
Build "meter-to-parsec" numerical simulations that follow neutron star–neutron star and neutron star–black hole mergers from the pre-merger state to the regions where observed light is produced.
Antonios Tsokaros
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL·Astronomy & Astrophysics
Develop an open-source general relativistic initial data code, based on the COCAL (Compact Object CALculator) code, that lets users set up starting conditions for magnetized neutron stars and black holes, alone or in binaries.
The school
University of California-San Diego: 84 labs on PI Pages, $1.9B a year on research, 637 research doctorates a year.
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