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.
When the bosonic sector of the electroweak theory is minimally coupled to General Relativity, magnetic Reissner-Nordström black holes become unstable below a critical horizon size.
On November 25, 1915, Einstein presented the field equations of General Relativity to the Prussian Academy of Sciences. A hundred and ten years later, we celebrate the remarkable progress of the field of strong gravity — its many achievements, the 15th anniversary of the Aveiro Gr@v group (est. 2010), and a decade since the first detection of gravitational waves. Click here for more details.
Celebrating Strong Gr@vity - One day workshop at the U. Aveiro
In November 2025 we had the great pleasure to host our friend and collaborator Prof. Luis Carlos Crispino, from UFPA, Brazil. Thank you for the visit and the great discussions!
Etevaldo Costa Filho visited the historic Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen to collaborate with Rodrigo Panosso Macedo. Cold weather but hot physics in Copenhagen!