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chill_factor
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Is there any research in astrophysics today that does not involve general relativity?
chill_factor said:Is there any research in astrophysics today that does not involve general relativity?
mathman said:Physics of stars - a lot is known already. Galaxy formation.
Chronos said:Well, not really, but, there are any number of situations where velocity is not an issue or is so low that relativity has no meaningful effect - like exobiology.
chill_factor said:Can such large masses really be modeled with classical mechanics?
What I meant to say was, is there any astrophysics done that doesn't require extensive knowledge of general relativity? Technically speaking, there's general relativity everywhere.
Nabeshin said:Absolutely. As far as I know, MOST astronomers are not experts at general relativity. Anyone doing planetary astronomy of course does not need it. Stellar physics does not need it. The study if the interstellar, intergalactic medium does not need it. The dynamics of individual galaxies does not need it. Really, only two (main) groups of people use GR on a day to day basis. These would be:
1) People modeling compact objects such as neutron stars, black holes, or white dwarves.
2) Cosmologists.
This might just be failure of imagination on my part, but I've talked to a fair few astronomers and almost unless they're explicitly in one of these two categories they mostly moan about the index manipulation twenty years ago in graduate school.
(I just remembered there's a lot of lensing work going on. But in this, GR is treated rather as a black box. Sure, it's necessary to know qualitatively what's going on, but to do the actual work no deep knowledge of GR is required.)
Yes, because GR is only relevant where relativistic affects are significant.chill_factor said:Can such large masses really be modeled with classical mechanics?
What I meant to say was, is there any astrophysics done that doesn't require extensive knowledge of general relativity? Technically speaking, there's general relativity everywhere.
chill_factor said:My B.S. is in Chemistry, so I'm very ignorant about astronomy. I heard that thermodynamics and statistical physics are very important in theoretical astronomy. Is that true? If so, that's very interesting, because those are the same things that are important in materials.
Nabeshin said:Of course, in certain situations these things are very important in astronomy. Particularly in solar system physics, chemistry and thermodynamics are important in determining the various phase of matter in a protoplanetary nebula, or formation of planets. Statistical physics and thermo are generally useful also when studying gas clouds or stars.
Astrophysics is such an incredibly broad thing, that literally any branch of physics is used by someone who considers themselves an astrophysicist. I think the best way to approach the field in a serious manner is to identify an object or situation that's of interest to you. Are you interested in how stars form? How they work? How planets form? How galaxies form? About gas between stars? About the universe as a whole? The list goes on for a long time. Of course the answer might be all of the above, but try to latch onto one particular topic to begin with and study in at least some depth.
chill_factor said:Is there any research in astrophysics today that does not involve general relativity?
Max™ said:Well, a rotating star that collapses has to take into account relativistic effects.
Jets emitted from stars going supernova can reach speeds where it matters.
Supernova effects themselves are obviously full of relativistic interactions.
Neutron stars, black holes, hypervelocity partner ejection, all in all I don't see a reason to specifically avoid learning about GR while being interested in any branch of physics.
If you're scared by things like the Einstein Field Equations, that just means you're not an eldritch horror from beyond the stars, you don't have to know those by heart.
General relativity is a theory of gravity developed by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century. It describes how massive objects create a curvature in space and time, which in turn affects the motion of other objects. In astrophysics, general relativity is used to explain the behavior of celestial bodies such as planets, stars, and galaxies.
Yes, there are certain areas of astrophysics that do not rely on general relativity. For example, the study of the formation and evolution of galaxies, known as galactic astrophysics, does not require the use of general relativity. However, it is still a fundamental theory in understanding the larger structure of the universe.
General relativity plays a crucial role in astrophysics because it provides a framework for understanding the behavior of massive objects in the universe. It has been successfully used to explain phenomena such as black holes, gravitational lensing, and the expansion of the universe. Without general relativity, our understanding of the cosmos would be incomplete.
Yes, there are several alternative theories to general relativity that have been proposed by scientists over the years. These include theories such as modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) and scalar-tensor theories. However, general relativity remains the most widely accepted and well-supported theory in astrophysics.
General relativity has greatly impacted our understanding of the universe by providing a comprehensive explanation for the behavior of massive objects. It has also opened up new avenues for research and has allowed us to make predictions about the universe that have been confirmed through observations and experiments. Additionally, general relativity has helped us to better understand the origins and evolution of the universe as a whole.