Gravity is the main binding force behind objects in the Universe. The interaction of massive objects with each other gives rise to gravitational waves, and the related astronomy has opened a new window to the Universe in this decade. The Astrophysics and Relativity group at ICTS has been actively involved in study of the Universe using gravitational wave astronomy. The group is part of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. Major contributions from the group include the construction of accurate theoretical models of gravitational waves from coalescing binary black holes, tests of General Relativity, numerical relativity, black hole astrophysics, gravitational wave data analysis, gravitational lensing of gravitational waves, etc.
A counterpart to the group is studying the Universe from the aspect pertaining to the plasma nature of astrophysical objects. These systems host significant large-scale magnetic fields, which are responsible for the non-thermal electromagnetic radiation. The questions being addressed include understanding the origin of turbulent magnetic fields, their relevance to formation of jets in blackhole accretion disks, and role in astrophysical turbulence, applying plasma processes such as reconnection to model particle acceleration in galaxy clusters, evolution of early universe magnetic fields and coronal heating.