Complex methods in General Relativity

Abstract

Following a brief introduction to complex manifolds, the course will explore connections between general relativity, the Einstein equation,and complex geometry. Among the topics I would like to cover are manifestations of Kähler and Hermitian geometry in general relativity, as well as twistor theory and its applications in general relativity and field theory. The course will be accessible to advanced undergraduates with a good background in differential geometry. The format of the course will be a seminar, with coordinated lectures by participants. Examination will be in the form of presentations in the context of the course.

Lecturer Intro.

Lars Andersson is a BIMSA research fellow. Before joining BIMSA he held professorships at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, the University of Miami, and led a research group at the Albert Einstein Institute, Potsdam. He works on problems in general relativity, mathematical physics and differential geometry, and has contributed to the mathematical analysis of cosmological models, apparent horizons, and self-gravitating elastic bodies. The recent research interests of Lars Andersson include the black hole stability problem, gravitational instantons, and the gravitational spin Hall effect.