Topics in general relativity : the hoop conjecture and theoretical aspects of gravitational wave detection

Citation

Flanagan, Eanna E. (1994) Topics in general relativity : the hoop conjecture and theoretical aspects of gravitational wave detection. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/7SW7-8076. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-11132006-095610

Abstract

The body of this thesis consists of four chapters (2 through 5), each of which is a paper that has been published in or submitted for publication to Physical Review D. I am the sole author of chapters 2, 3, and 4; Curt Cutler coauthored chapter 5 with me. These four chapters deal with two topics in general relativity: the formation of horizons in nonspherical gravitational collapse (chapters 2 and 3), and some theoretical aspects of the effort to detect gravitational waves from cosmic sources (chapters 4 and 5). These four chapters were written largely for experts in the topics they cover. As an aid to general readers, I shall give in this introductory chapter some background information about chapters 2 through 5 and a nontechnical overview of their contents.

Thesis Files