General relativity and gravity

General relativity describes gravitation in a geometrical framework generalizing special relativity and classical mechanics. This term includes theoretical studies of gravity, experimental studies of gravitational waves and observational studies of gravitational lensing, as well as tests of general relativity and laboratory experiments.

Latest Research and Reviews

• Research |

Ultra-low-frequency gravitational waves from cosmological and astrophysical processes

While pulsar timing observations are currently unable to distinguish a binary black hole astrophysical foreground from a cosmological background, integrated bounds on the ultra-low-frequency gravitational wave spectrum from other cosmological probes may help to break this degeneracy.

• Christopher J. Moore
•  & Alberto Vecchio
• Research
| Open Access

Quantum-circuit black hole lasers

• Haruna Katayama
Scientific Reports 11, 19137
• Reviews |

Concepts and status of Chinese space gravitational wave detection projects

The concepts and development milestones of the two Chinese space-based gravitational wave observatories, TianQin and Taiji, are introduced. Considering their similar goals and operation window with LISA, possible collaborations among them are discussed.

• Yungui Gong
• , Jun Luo
•  & Bin Wang
Nature Astronomy 5, 881-889
• Research
| Open Access

Cosmology in the mimetic higher-curvature $$f(R,R_{\mu \nu }R^{\mu \nu })$$ gravity

•  & Dominik Szczȩśniak
Scientific Reports 11, 18363
• Research
| Open Access

Towards communication in a curved spacetime geometry

The distortion of photons propagation in a curved spacetime geometry poses a challenge for communication for Earth-to-satellite communication. Here, the distortion of localized information carriers, arising from curved spacetime geometry, as they are freely transported along a general geodesic is reported.

• Qasem Exirifard
• , Eric Culf
•  & Ebrahim Karimi
• Research |

Light bending and X-ray echoes from behind a supermassive black hole

One of the key predictions of general relativity, the bending of light around massive, compact objects, is observed for a supermassive black hole in the galaxy I Zwicky 1.

• D. R. Wilkins
• , L. C. Gallo
•  & R. D. Blandford
Nature 595, 657-660

News and Comment

The astrophysics of rotational energy extraction from a black hole

Recent work has questioned whether nature can extract the rotational energy of a black hole via electromagnetic fields. Although we show that the Blandford–Znajek effect is sound, the deeper physics of the electric nature of black holes remains unresolved.

• David Garofalo
•  & Chandra B. Singh
Nature Astronomy 5, 1086-1088
• Research Highlights |

Laser power stabilization via radiation pressure

Extremely stable laser sources are essential for high-precision experiments, such as interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Marina Trad Nery explains how to use radiation pressure to measure and stabilize power fluctuations in a laser beam.

Computational challenges in numerical relativity in the gravitational-wave era

Gravitational-wave discoveries have ignited a new era of astronomy. Numerical relativity plays a crucial role in modeling gravitational-wave sources for current and next-generation observatories, but it doesn’t come without computational challenges.

• Geoffrey Lovelace
• News & Views |

The life of an analogue black hole

Table-top superfluid experiments offer a way of bringing the physics of astrophysical black holes into the lab. But the presence of two event horizons in these superfluid black holes complicates matters — and makes them more interesting.

• Giovanni Modugno
Nature Physics 17, 300-301
• Research Highlights |

Revisiting an old friend

• Marios Karouzos
• Research Highlights |

Black holes confirmed bald

• Marios Karouzos