The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

Institute) is a

Max Planck Institute The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science (; abbreviated MPG) is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes. Founded in 1911 as the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, it was renamed to the M ...

whose research is aimed at investigating Einstein's theory of relativity and beyond:

Mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

quantum gravity Quantum gravity (QG) is a field of theoretical physics that seeks to describe gravity according to the principles of quantum mechanics. It deals with environments in which neither gravitational nor quantum effects can be ignored, such as in the v ...

, astrophysical relativity, and

gravitational-wave astronomy Gravitational-wave astronomy is a subfield of astronomy concerned with the detection and study of gravitational waves emitted by astrophysical sources. Gravitational waves are minute distortions or ripples in spacetime caused by the acceleration ...

. The institute was founded in 1995 and is located in the Potsdam Science Park in Golm, Potsdam and in

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

where it closely collaborates with the

Leibniz University Hannover Leibniz University Hannover (), also known as the University of Hannover, is a public university, public research university located in Hanover, Germany. Founded on 2 May 1831 as Higher Vocational School, the university has undergone six period ...

. Both the Potsdam and the Hannover parts of the institute are organized in three research departments and host a number of independent research groups. The institute conducts

fundamental research Basic research, also called pure research, fundamental research, basic science, or pure science, is a type of scientific research with the aim of improving scientific theories for better understanding and prediction of natural or other phenome ...

in mathematics,

data analysis Data analysis is the process of inspecting, Data cleansing, cleansing, Data transformation, transforming, and Data modeling, modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Da ...

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

and

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict List of natural phenomena, natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental p ...

as well as research in

laser physics Laser science or laser physics is a branch of optics that describes the theory and practice of lasers. Laser science is principally concerned with quantum electronics, laser construction, optical cavity design, the physics of producing a po ...

, vacuum technology,

vibration isolation ''Vibration isolation'' is the prevention of transmission of vibration from one component of a system to others parts of the same system, as in Building, buildings or mechanical systems. Vibration is undesirable in many domains, primarily engineere ...

and classical and

quantum optics Quantum optics is a branch of atomic, molecular, and optical physics and quantum chemistry that studies the behavior of photons (individual quanta of light). It includes the study of the particle-like properties of photons and their interaction ...

. When the

LIGO Scientific Collaboration The LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) is a scientific collaboration of international physics institutes and research groups dedicated to the search for gravitational waves. History The LSC was established in 1997, under the leadership of Bar ...

announced the first detection of gravitational waves, researchers of the institute were involved in modeling, detecting, analysing and characterising the signals. The institute is part of a number of collaborations and projects: it is a main partner in the gravitational-wave detector

GEO600 GEO600 is a gravitational wave detector located near Sarstedt, a town to the south of Hanover, Germany. It is designed and operated by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics a ...

; institute scientists are developing waveform-models that are applied in the gravitational-wave detectors for detecting and characterising

gravitational wave Gravitational waves are oscillations of the gravitational field that Wave propagation, travel through space at the speed of light; they are generated by the relative motion of gravity, gravitating masses. They were proposed by Oliver Heaviside i ...

s. They are developing detector technology and are also analyzing data from the detectors of the

LIGO The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory designed to detect cosmic gravitational waves and to develop gravitational-wave observations as an astronomical tool. Prior to LIG ...

Scientific Collaboration, the

Virgo Virgo may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Virgo (film), a 1970 Egyptian film * Virgo (character), several Marvel Comics characters * Virgo Asmita, a character in the manga ''Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas'' * ''Virgo'' (album), by Virgo Four, ...

Collaboration and the

KAGRA The Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector (KAGRA) is a large interferometer designed to detect gravitational waves predicted by the general theory of relativity. KAGRA is a Michelson interferometer that is isolated from external disturbances: its mi ...

Collaboration. They also play a leading role in planning and preparing the space-based detector

LISA Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...

(planned launch date: 2034) and are involved in developing the third generation of earth-bound gravitational-wave detectors (

Einstein Telescope Einstein Telescope (ET), is a proposed third-generation ground-based gravitational wave detector, currently under study by some institutions in the European Union. It will be able to test Einstein's general theory of relativity in strong field co ...

Cosmic Explorer ''Cosmic Explorer'' (stylized in all uppercase) is the fifth studio album by Japanese girl group Perfume. It was released on April 6, 2016 by Universal Music Japan, Universal J, and Perfume Records. It is Perfume's fifth consecutive album to be ...

). The institute is also a major player in the

Einstein@Home Einstein@Home is a volunteer computing project that searches for signals from spinning neutron stars in data from gravitational-wave detectors, from large radio telescopes, and from a gamma-ray telescope. Neutron stars are detected by their puls ...

and PyCBC projects. AEI Potsdam Golm

From 1998 to 2015, the institute has published the

open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...

review journal

Living Reviews in Relativity ''Living Reviews in Relativity'' is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal publishing reviews on relativity in the areas of physics and astrophysics. It was founded by Bernard Schutz and published at the Max Planck Institute for Gravita ...

History

The newly founded institute started its work in April 1995 and has been located in Potsdam-Golm since 1999. In 2002 the institute opened a branch at the Universität Hannover with a focus on

and the development and operation of gravitational-wave detectors on Earth and in space. The Hannover institute originated from the Institute for Atom and Molecule Physics (AMP) of the Universität Hannover, which was established in 1979 by the Department of Physics.

Research

The research focus of the institute is in the field of

general relativity General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity, and as Einstein's theory of gravity, is the differential geometry, geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of grav ...

. It covers

theoretical A theory is a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, ...

and

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

gravitational physics In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...

multi-messenger astronomy Multi-messenger astronomy is the coordinated observation and interpretation of multiple signals received from the same astronomical event. Many types of cosmological events involve complex interactions between a variety of astrophysical processes, ...

and

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

. The institute has a strong research focus on

: five out of six departments are working on different aspects of this research field. Central research topics are: * source modeling (binary

neutron star A neutron star is the gravitationally collapsed Stellar core, core of a massive supergiant star. It results from the supernova explosion of a stellar evolution#Massive star, massive star—combined with gravitational collapse—that compresses ...

s, binary

black hole A black hole is a massive, compact astronomical object so dense that its gravity prevents anything from escaping, even light. Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will form a black hole. Th ...

s, mixed binaries, stellar core collapse) * experimental work on gravitational-wave detectors – both on Earth and in space * solving the

two-body problem in general relativity The two-body problem in general relativity (or relativistic two-body problem) is the determination of the motion and gravitational field of two bodies as described by the field equations of general relativity. Solving the Kepler problem is essen ...

* analytical and numerical solutions of Einstein's equations * development and implementation of

algorithm In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of Rigour#Mathematics, mathematically rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific Computational problem, problems or to perform a computation. Algo ...

s for gravitational-wave searches * follow-up analyses to infer properties of the gravitational-wave sources * searches for particles and fundamental interactions beyond the

standard model The Standard Model of particle physics is the Scientific theory, theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces (electromagnetism, electromagnetic, weak interaction, weak and strong interactions – excluding gravity) in the unive ...

All these efforts enable a new kind of

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

, which began with the first direct detection of gravitational waves on Earth. Scientists of the institute also work towards the unification of the fundamental theories of

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

–

and

quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...

– into a theory of

Departments

* Alessandra Buonanno’s Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity department at AEI Potsdam solves the

analytically and

numerically Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation (as opposed to symbolic manipulations) for the problems of mathematical analysis (as distinguished from discrete mathematics). It is the study of numerical methods th ...

, and predicts gravitational-wave signals emitted by binary systems composed of

s and

s. Members of the department use those waveform models to infer

astrophysical Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

and

cosmological Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

information, and carry out tests of

, using data from gravitational-wave detectors. *Masaru Shibata's Computational Relativistic Astrophysics department at AEI Potsdam studies mergers of

s or

s and the collapse of stellar cores. The department also works on more fundamental aspects of

with numerical tools. *The Quantum Gravity and Unified Theories department (acting director since August 2020: Alessandra Buonanno) at AEI Potsdam works on the development of a

quantum theory of gravity Quantum gravity (QG) is a field of theoretical physics that seeks to describe gravity according to the principles of quantum mechanics. It deals with environments in which neither gravitational nor quantum effects can be ignored, such as in the v ...

, based on

conformal field theory A conformal field theory (CFT) is a quantum field theory that is invariant under conformal transformations. In two dimensions, there is an infinite-dimensional algebra of local conformal transformations, and conformal field theories can sometime ...

string theory In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and intera ...

, and

supergravity In theoretical physics, supergravity (supergravity theory; SUGRA for short) is a modern field theory that combines the principles of supersymmetry and general relativity; this is in contrast to non-gravitational supersymmetric theories such as ...

and

symmetries Symmetry () in everyday life refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, the term has a more precise definition and is usually used to refer to an object that is invariant under some transformations ...

. *The research focus of Karsten Danzmann’s department Laser Interferometry and Gravitational Wave Astronomy at AEI Hannover is on the development and operation of gravitational-wave detectors on Earth and in space. This includes laboratory experiments in

and

. * Bruce Allen’s department Observational Relativity and Cosmology at AEI Hannover studies observational consequences of

, including the search for and analysis of gravitational-wave signals in data from ground-based detectors, and the operation of the

project. The department also works on searches for gamma-ray and radio

pulsar A pulsar (''pulsating star, on the model of quasar'') is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation out of its Poles of astronomical bodies#Magnetic poles, magnetic poles. This radiation can be obse ...

s, and on theoretical aspects of black holes. *The department Precision Interferometry and Fundamental Interactions at AEI Hannover, led by Guido Müller, focuses its activity on LISA and other space-based and ground-based gravitational-wave astronomy and on searches for fundamental interactions beyond the standard model using laser-optical methods.

Directors

* Bruce Allen (AEI Hannover, 2007–present) * Alessandra Buonanno (AEI Potsdam, 2014–present) * Karsten Danzmann (AEI Hannover, 2002–present), deputy managing director *

Jürgen Ehlers Jürgen Ehlers (; 29 December 1929 – 20 May 2008) was a German physicist who contributed to the understanding of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. From graduate and postgraduate work in Pascual Jordan's relativity research group ...

(AEI Potsdam, founding director, 1995–1998) * Gerhard Huisken (AEI Potsdam, 2002–2013) * Guido Müller (AEI Hannover, 2022–present) *

Hermann Nicolai Hermann Nicolai (born 11 July 1952 in Friedberg) is a German theoretical physicist and director emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam-Golm. Education and career At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann N ...

(AEI Potsdam, 1997–2020) * Bernard F. Schutz (AEI Potsdam, founding director, 1995–2014) * Masaru Shibata (AEI Potsdam, 2018–present), managing director

Independent research groups

Permanent independent research groups

*Geometry and Gravitation at AEI Potsdam. This research group studies fundamental questions in the theory of gravity and related physical theories with mathematical methods. *Searching for Continuous Gravitational Waves (led by M. Alessandra Papa) at AEI Hannover. This research group works on searches for as of today undetected continuous

s, which are expected from rapidly rotating

Independent research groups

*Binary Merger Observations and Numerical Relativity (led by Frank Ohme) at AEI Hannover. The independent research group works on gravitational-wave

and predictions of wave forms for signals from merging

s and

s. The studies are based on numerical simulations of these processes. *Exceptional Quantum Gravity (Emeritus group, led by

) at AEI Potsdam. This research group is funded by an ERC Advanced Grant. Its research is concerned with a

symmetry Symmetry () in everyday life refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, the term has a more precise definition and is usually used to refer to an object that is Invariant (mathematics), invariant und ...

-based approach to a consistent theory of

*Multi-messenger Astrophysics of Compact Binaries (led by Tim Dietrich) at AEI Potsdam. This Max Planck Fellow research group investigates the electromagnetic and gravitational-wave emission from binary neutron star mergers using numerical relativity methods.

Max Planck Partner Groups

Max Planck Partner Groups carry out research in fields overlapping with those of the former host Max Planck institute. They are established to support junior scientists returning to their home country after a research stay at a Max Planck Institute. The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics has one Max Planck Partner Group: * at the

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT- Kanpur or IIT-K) is a public institute of technology located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. As an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), it was declared an Institute of National Importance by ...

, India, collaborating with the “Quantum Gravity and Unified Theories” department

Collaborative projects

Advanced LIGO and advanced Virgo

At AEI Hannover and AEI Potsdam, there are two

groups concerned with theory and

of the

and

detectors. At AEI Hannover there is also the GEO group concerned with various experimental topics. AEI researchers in Potsdam and Hannover analyse LIGO and Virgo data. They also develop predictions of gravitational-wave signals used for the search for mergers of

s and

s and their interpretation. The AEI Hannover is a partner institution in the advanced LIGO project and contributed the pre-stabilized laser system for the advanced LIGO detectors in Hanford and Livingston. AEI researchers help commissioning and operating the advanced LIGO interferometers. In early 2018 researchers at AEI Hannover have developed, built, and helped install a squeezed-light source at the Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detector. During the third joint observation run of the gravitational-wave detectors, it reduced the quantum-mechanical background noise by about third, increasing the expected detection rate of binary neutron star mergers by up to 26%.

Einstein Telescope

Researchers at AEI contribute to the planning, development of, and the science case for the

(ET), a third-generation gravitational-wave detector in Europe. The ET steering committee co-chair is at AEI Hannover, and laser technology for the ET Prototype in Maastricht is to be developed at AEI Hannover. AEI Potsdam researchers contribute to developing wave-form models for third generation gravitational-wave detectors such as the Einstein Telescope.

GEO600

The

gravitational-wave detector south of

was designed and is operated by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics and the Leibniz Universität Hannover, along with partners in the United Kingdom.

LISA Pathfinder

LISA Pathfinder LISA Pathfinder, formerly Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology-2 (SMART-2), was an ESA spacecraft that was launched on 3 December 2015 on board Vega flight VV06. The mission tested technologies needed for the Laser Interferometer ...

was a test mission by

ESA The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 in the context of European ...

for the

Laser Interferometer Space Antenna The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a planned space probe to detect and measure gravitational waves—tiny ripples in the fabric of spacetime—from astronomical sources. LISA will be the first dedicated space-based gravitational-w ...

(LISA). It demonstrated key technologies for gravitational-wave detection in space. The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Hannover and the Institute for Gravitational Physics at Leibniz Universität Hannover were responsible for and coordinated the German contribution to the mission. During the operations phase, Max Planck and Leibniz Universität researchers in Hannover were partners in the mission's data analysis. They also played a leading role developing the analysis software LTPDA, a

MATLAB MATLAB (an abbreviation of "MATrix LABoratory") is a proprietary multi-paradigm programming language and numeric computing environment developed by MathWorks. MATLAB allows matrix manipulations, plotting of functions and data, implementat ...

toolbox. AEI scientist took part in the mission operations shifts at

ESOC The European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) serves as the main mission control centre for the European Space Agency (ESA) and is located in Darmstadt, Germany. ESOC's primary function is the operation of uncrewed spacecraft on behalf of ESA and ...

LISA

The space-based

gravitational-wave observatory A gravitational-wave detector (used in a gravitational-wave observatory) is any device designed to measure tiny distortions of spacetime called gravitational waves. Since the 1960s, various kinds of gravitational-wave detectors have been built ...

is developed under

leadership in collaboration with a scientific consortium. The LISA consortium is led by AEI director Karsten Danzmann. At AEI Hannover and AEI Potsdam there are LISA Consortium groups. At AEI Hannover there are large laboratories for LISA laser

interferometry Interferometry is a technique which uses the ''interference (wave propagation), interference'' of Superposition principle, superimposed waves to extract information. Interferometry typically uses electromagnetic waves and is an important inves ...

experiments.

GRACE Follow-On

GRACE-FO is a satellite-based

geodesy Geodesy or geodetics is the science of measuring and representing the Figure of the Earth, geometry, Gravity of Earth, gravity, and Earth's rotation, spatial orientation of the Earth in Relative change, temporally varying Three-dimensional spac ...

mission that takes detailed measurements of the Earth's gravitational field and its temporal and spatial variations by

interferometric Interferometry is a technique which uses the '' interference'' of superimposed waves to extract information. Interferometry typically uses electromagnetic waves and is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber opt ...

distance measurements between two satellites. The laser ranging interferometer used for this purpose is a cooperation between

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

and German partners, with the German contribution led by the AEI. The instrument's concept, its prototypes and technical specifications were done at the AEI. AEI researchers have been involved in developing and testing the flight hardware.

Graduate Program

The institute participates in two International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS). Such research schools are graduate programs run by Max Planck Institutes in partnership with local universities, offering a Ph.D. degree. Th
IMPRS for Mathematical and Physical Aspects of Gravitation, Cosmology and Quantum Field Theory
partners with the Institute for Mathematics at

University of Potsdam The University of Potsdam is a public university in Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, northeastern Germany. The university is mainly situated across three campuses in the city. Some faculty buildings are part of the New Palace o ...

, the Institute of Physics at

Humboldt University The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public university, public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III of Prussia, Frederick W ...

IIT Bombay The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT- Bombay or IIT-B) is a Public university, public research university and Institute of technology, technical institute in Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. IIT Bombay is mainly known for the hig ...

Chennai Mathematical Institute Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI) is a higher education and research institute in Chennai, India. It was founded in 1989 by the SPIC Science Foundation, and offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in physics, mathematics and compute ...

, and the Institute of Theoretical Physics of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

Th
IMPRS on Gravitational Wave Astronomy
is run in two collaborating branches, one in Hannover and one in Potsdam-Golm. The Hannover branch cooperates with the

and th
Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V.
The Potsdam branch partners with the

, the

and the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics. It cooperates with the IMPRS for Mathematical and Physical Aspects of Gravitation, Cosmology and Quantum Field Theory (also at AEI Potsdam), the master's degree program in astrophysics at the

, th
Astrophysics Network Potsdam
the Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics at

Kyoto University , or , is a National university, national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen gra ...

, and the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

Jürgen Ehlers Spring School

The institute offers an annual two-week spring school for 40 international students of

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and

. Each year, the lectures, exercises, and discussions cover different topics from the institute's research expertise. Lectures are held by researchers from the institute. The Jürgen Ehlers Spring School was established in 2000 and is named after the institute's founding director

Outreach

Public events

The institute's outreach activities include Open Days at the AEI Potsdam and at the GEO600 gravitational-wave detector, participation in the Girls' Days and Future Days, popular science talks by researchers, participation in the “November der Wissenschaft” in Hannover, tours of the institutes including selected laboratories and computer clusters, and a program for visits and presentations by researchers at high schools.

Einstein Online

The institute runs the popular-science webportal Einstein Online, which is a hypertext network with introductory and in-depth articles about Einstein's theory of relativity and its consequences.

Journalist in Residence

Since 2018, the institute has been offering a Journalists-in-Residence program to science journalists. The goal is to improve the communication between journalists and scientists, and to provide deeper insight into the institute's research.

Einstein@Home

The institute together with the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropo ...

is one of the two host institutions of the distributed volunteer computing project

. Einstein@Home aggregates computing time on volunteers’ computers to search for signals from rotating

s in data from the

gravitational-wave detectors, from large

radio telescope A radio telescope is a specialized antenna (radio), antenna and radio receiver used to detect radio waves from astronomical radio sources in the sky. Radio telescopes are the main observing instrument used in radio astronomy, which studies the r ...

s, and from the

Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (FGST, also FGRST), formerly called the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), is a space observatory being used to perform gamma-ray astronomy observations from low Earth orbit. Its main instrument is ...

References

External links

Homepage of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics

Einstein Online
– outreach website hosted at the institute about

's theories of relativity
Website of the LISA Consortium
hosted at the institute {{Max Planck Society

Gravitational Physics In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...

Physics research institutes Research institutes established in 1995 1995 establishments in Germany Research institutes in Lower Saxony