Luc BLANCHET (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris)

Theory of Gravitational Wave Emission

6 lectures: October 31, November 02, 03, 06, 07, 08


Hand-written notes are available:
Part 1
Part 2
Parts 3 & 4
Part 5


PART A: POST-NEWTONIAN SOURCES

Lecture 1: Gravitational-wave generation formalism

• Quadrupole moment formalism
• Problem posed by compact binary systems
• Einstein's field equations

Lecture 2: Non-linear iteration of the field equations

• Linearized vacuum equations
• The post-Minkowskian solution
• Near-zone and far-zone structures
• The radiative multipole moments

Lecture 3: Exterior field of a post-Newtonian source

• The matching equation
• Expression of the multipole expansion
• The source multipole moments
• Non-linear multipole interactions

PART B: COMPACT BINARY SYSTEMS

Lecture 4: Regularization of the field of point particles

• Hadamard self-field regularization
• Dimensional regularization
• Computation of regularization ambiguities

Lecture 5: Newtonian-like equations of motion

• The post-Newtonian acceleration
• Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations
• The innermost circular orbit
• Accuracy of the post-Newtonian expansion

Lecture 6: Gravitational waves from compact binaries

• The binary's multipole moments
• Contribution of gravitational-wave tails
• Orbital phase evolution
• The two polarization wave-forms