The group's research on strong gravity involves finding analytical and numerical solutions of Einstein's theory of general relativity, and many of its extensions, either in vacuum or coupled to various types of matter. For our latest developments/activities in this area, please see the listing at the end of this article.
The prime examples of (relativistic) strong gravitational systems are Black Holes. They are truly unifying objects of all physics. The understanding of their formation and dynamics requires the laws of all four fundamental forces, and their physics is relevant not only for astrophysics and cosmology but for a variety of topics within high energy physics.
See here a movie made by the COST action `Black holes in a violent universe', in which our group participates, for a visual overview of different types of black holes.
A team of Gr@v members (P. Cunha, J. Delgado, C. Herdeiro and J. Oliveira) is visiting the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, at its Cuernava Campus, in April-May 2018 hosted by Professor Juan Carlos Degollado. The visit occurs within a Marie Curie RISE action, of which both UNAM and Aveiro Universities are partners.
On May 29th, 1919 a joint Royal Astronomical Society and Royal Society expedition led by Arthur Eddington to Principe observed a total solar eclipse, confirming the deflexion of light predicted by the General Theory of Relativity. Eddington at Sundy: 100 years later (E@S) results from a joint initiative of several institutions, including our group, to celebrate the centenary of these observations.
Gr@v members C. Herdeiro and E. Radu visited the University of Mons (Belgium) in March 2018, to continue their scientific collaboration with Professor Yves Brihaye. Herdeiro presented a seminar on the group's work. And, as demanded by tradition, they all paid a visit to the Guardhouse monkey of Mons!
The invited review article "Shadows and strong gravitational lensing: a brief review", by Gr@v members P. Cunha and C. Herdeiro was selected as Editor's choice in General Relativity and Gravitation. This article is part of the topical collection "Testing the Kerr spacetime with gravitational-wave and electromagnetic observations".
