In 2008, Living Reviews in Relativity is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a series of lectures by distinguished authors in the Berlin/Potsdam area. Most recent information on speakers, venues and dates is posted here.

May

Prof. Dimitrios Psaltis, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
  • Topic: Probes and Tests of Strong-Field General RelativityIn contrast to gravity in the weak-field regime, which has been subjected to numerous experimental tests, gravity in the strong-field regime is largely unconstrained by experiments. Indeed, a large class of gravity theories can be constructed that obey the Einstein equivalence principle and cannot be rejected by solar system tests, but that diverge from general relativity in the strong-field regime. I show that such theories predict black holes and neutron stars with significantly different properties than their general relativistic counterparts. I then discuss how recent observations with current telescopes have provided interesting new constraints on scalar-tensor and braneworld gravity models that are comparable to solar-system and table-top experiments.
  • Venue: Albert Einstein Institute, Potsdam Golm, Lecture Hall  map
  • Date: May 29, 2008 - 14:00
  • Living Reviews: submitted,
  • slides

June

Prof. Abhay Ashtekar, Penn State University, University Park, PA
  • Topic: The Many Faces of Black HolesBlack holes have proved to be a treasure trove for fundamental physics. As is widely appreciated, they vividly bring out the powerful interplay between gravity and geometry. However, their properties have also provided deep and totally unexpected clues on the relation between the three pillars of modern physics -- general relativity, quantum field theory and statistical mechanics. And they continue to baffle, vex and amaze the experts. The goal of this colloquium is to tell this fascinating story to non-experts, emphasizing recent conceptual advances.
  • Venue: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin, Hauptgebäude Hörsaal 2097  map
  • Date: June 3, 2008 - 19:00
  • Living Reviews: lrr-2004-10
  • slides

July

Prof. Clifford Will, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
  • Topic: Was Einstein Right?How has the most important scientific theory of the 20th century held up under the exacting scrutiny of planetary probes, radio telescopes, and atomic clocks? After almost 100 years, is Einstein still right? In this lecture we will relate the story of testing relativity, from the 1919 measurements of the bending of light to modern measurements of decaying double-neutron-star systems that reveal the action of gravity waves, to a 2004 space experiment to test whether spacetime "does the twist". We will show that future observations using gravitational wave detectors and other astronomical tools will test Einstein's theory in new regimes, and may prove once and for all whether black holes really exist.
  • Venue: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin, Hauptgebäude Hörsaal 3075  map
  • Date: July 7, 2008 - 19:00
  • Living Reviews: lrr-2001-4, lrr-2006-3

December

Prof. Marc Henneaux, Université Libre de Bruxelles and International Solvay Institutes Brussels
  • Topic:
  • Venue:  
  • Date: December , 2008 -
  • Living Reviews: lrr-2008-1

Upcoming

Prof. Luc Blanchet, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris
  • Topic: Gravitational Radiation from Post-Newtonian Sources and Inspiralling Compact Binaries
  • Living Reviews: lrr-2002-3, lrr-2006-4