Areas of research of interest to the group include:
Gravitational lensing (lenses) and its applications to cosmology
The acceleration of the expansion of the universe: Cosmological constant, dark energy ... etc
Cosmological exact solutions to Einstein's field equations (cosmological models of wider generality than the classical homogeneous models)
Constraining cosmological parameters and cosmological models using probes such as gravitational lensing, the cosmic microwave background (CMB), and supernova searches.
Recently proposed cosmological models based on space-times with dimensions D > 4 ("brane" cosmologies) and constraints on such models from current and future cosmological data.
Projects at the intersection of modern cosmology and general relativity
Computer algebra systems and symbolic programming applied to general relativity and cosmology
Junction conditions for matching space-times and constructing wormholes
Recent research projects include:
A procedure to distinguish between cosmic acceleration due to Dark Energy and cosmic acceleration due to a large extra dimension of space-time.
Theoretical studies on improving weak gravitational lensing techniques and their applications to cosmology
The topology of the big bang
The relation between local and cosmic curvature
Techniques for determining geodesics and geodesics precession rates in axisymmetric metrics
Extended studies of current and future constraints on dark energy parameters from cosmic complementarity (CMB+weak gravitational lensing+supernova data) and cosmic shear tomography.
An inverse approach to Einstein’s field equations
Studies using perfect fluid models in non-comoving null spherical (observational) coordinates
Stability of transparent spherically symmetric thin shells and wormholes with a cosmological constant
Development of an online interactive geometric database, including exact solutions of Einstein's field equations (with an interface to computer algebra systems)
Exact solutions of Einstein's field equations with w-modes oscillations
The predictions of general relativity are spectacularly manifested in nature
as shown by the images below.
Gravitational Lens: Galaxy Cluster 0024+1654
W. N. Colley (Princeton University), E. Turner
(Princeton University),
J. A. Tyson (AT&T Bell Labs), and NASA
Map of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation From the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP):
First Year Results.
(WMAP is a NASA Explorer Mission.):
This site is still under construction. More to come in the near future.