Related papers: Thoughts about a conceptual framework for relativi…
General Relativity (GR) revolutionized the way we thought about gravity. After briefly describing the key successes of GR and its impact, I will discuss the major conceptual challenges it faces today. I conclude by outlining the prospective…
General relativity can be recast as a theory of connections by performing a canonical transformation on its phase space. In this form, its (kinematical) structure is closely related to that of Yang-Mills theory and topological field…
I give a critical review of the holographic hypothesis, which posits that a universe with gravity can be described by a quantum field theory in fewer dimensions. I first recall how the idea originated from considerations on black hole…
Thirty years of a deepening information paradox suggest the need to revise our basic physical framework. Multiple indicators point toward reassessment of the principle of locality: lack of a precise definition in quantum gravity, behavior…
This thesis focuses on modifications on Einstein's theory of General Relativity, which could explain the current problems in gravitation and cosmology. More specifically, modifications of the affine structure of the spacetime, which is the…
The gravitational collapse of massive stars serves to manifest the most severe deviations of general relativity with respect to Newtonian gravity: the formation of horizons and spacetime singularities. Both features have proven to be…
Higher-order theories of gravity have received much attention from several areas including quantum gravity, string theory and cosmology. This paper proposes a higher-order gravity whose action includes all curvature scalar terms up to the…
Different astrophysical methods can be combined to detect possible deviations from General Relativity. In this work, we consider a class of $f(R)$ gravity models selected by the existence of Noether symmetries. In this framework, it is…
Each approach to the quantum-gravity problem originates from expertise in one or another area of theoretical physics. The particle-physics perspective encourages one to attempt to reproduce in quantum gravity as much as possible of the…
Black holes are among the most fascinating objects populating our universe. Their characteristic features, encompassing spacetime singularities, event horizons, and black hole thermodynamics, provide a rich testing ground for quantum…
The Kerr-Newman metric is the unique vacuum solution of the General Relativistic field equations, in which any singularities or spacetime pathologies are hidden behind horizons. They are believed to describe the spacetimes of massive…
Schwarzschild black holes can produce strong gravitational lensing. The relativistic images are produced due to bending of light around the black hole. We propose a model equation to study the strong gravitational lensing. The model…
This paper provides a brief review of the history of our understanding and knowledge of black holes. Starting with early speculations on ``dark stars'' I discuss the Schwarzschild "black hole" solution to Einstein's field equations and the…
Violations of Lorentz (and specifically boost) invariance can make gravity renormalizable in the ultraviolet, as initially noted by Ho\v{r}ava, but are increasingly constrained in the infrared. At low energies, Ho\v{r}ava gravity is…
While many observations support the validity of Einstein's general relativity as the theory of gravity, there are yet many that suggest the presence of new physics. In order to explain the high-redshift supernovae Ia observations together…
On his way to General Relativity (GR) Einstein gave several arguments as to why a special relativistic theory of gravity based on a massless scalar field could be ruled out merely on grounds of theoretical considerations. We re-investigate…
From the microscopic point of view, realistic black holes are time-dependent and the teleological concept of event horizon fails. At present, the apparent or the trapping horizon seem its best replacements in various areas of black hole…
Black hole solutions are explored in the Lorentz gauge theory of gravity. The fields of the theory are the gauge potential in the adjoint and a scalar in the fundamental representation of the Lorentz group, a metric tensor then emerging as…
As first discovered by Choptuik, the black hole threshold in the space of initial data for general relativity shows both surprising structure and surprising simplicity. Universality, power-law scaling of the black hole mass, and scale…
Classical black holes shield us from the singularities that inevitably appear in general relativity. Being singularity regularization one of the main landmarks for a successful theory of quantum gravity, quantum black holes are not obliged…