Theoretical Astrophysics Group

Head: Professor Dr. Konstantinos Kokkotas

The research at the Theoretical Astrophysics Section in Tuebingen (TAT) is mainly targeted on projects related to sources of gravitational waves. Gravitational waves were predicted theoretically by Einstein already a century ago. Over five decades of efforts in constructing several large-scale gravitational wave detectors, vindicated on September 2015 with the first direct detection of gravitational waves by merging black holes.

Neutron stars and black holes, either isolated or in binary systems, are the main source for gravitational waves and the group in Tuebingen specializes on determining the detailed structure of neutron stars by their gravitational wave spectrum; a technique which is called "gravitational wave asteroseismology".

In September 2019, our Emmy Noether Research Group on Gravitational waves from compact objects has been established.