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.
Boson Star Factory: Past, Present, and Future, R. Gervalle, J. F. M. Delgado, E. dos Santos Costa Filho, C. Herdeiro, V. Jaramillo, E. Radu; arXiv:2609.24913 [gr-qc]
Bosonic stars with dark electroweak fields, E. dos Santos Costa Filho, R. Gervalle; arXiv:2609.19273 [gr-qc].
Turbulent gravitational wakes, G. Taiocchi, C. Pantelidou, M. Zilhão; arXiv:2609.18295 [hep-th].
Analytic backreaction of a scalar wig on a Schwarzschild black hole, M. de Cesare, M. Del Piano, C. A. R. Herdeiro; arXiv:2607.25932 [gr-qc].
Dynamics and geometry of the inner sub-parsec-scale jet in 3C 279 observed with the Event Horizon Telescope, H. Mueller et al. (w/ H. Olivares); arXiv:2607.16104 [astro-ph.GA].
We present an Ernst-like formalism for stationary and axisymmetric Einstein–Maxwell/ModMax gravity coupled to a scalar field. The Maxwell sector is recovered as a particular limit of the ModMax theory, allowing both theories to be studied within the same framework.
Gr@v member Héctor Olivares has been awarded a Mexican Diaspora Research Chair ("Cátedras de la Diáspora Mexicana"), a grant supporting Mexican researchers living abroad who wish to maintain academic links with Mexico. The initiative provides annual mobility support for research, teaching, and academic training activities at Mexican higher education institutions and public research centers.
On 16 September 2026, Gr@v resumed its scientific activities with the first Journal Club of the new term. We are delighted to welcome several visitors to the group, including Alvaro Salazar (Valladolid, Spain), Kelvin Alves (UNESP, Brazil), Flavio Rosales Infante (UMSNH, Mexico), and Razieh Ranjbar (Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, Iran). We are also very happy to welcome our new PhD student, Yusheng He, who joins us after graduating in China. It is great to see the group growing and our scientific activities getting underway again.