Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Wormholes: Gates To The Stars?, Samuel Shreeve

Physics Capstone Projects

One of the most consistently fascinating results of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity is the prediction of wormholes – astronomical objects which are, among other things, capable of serving as a connection between two distant regions of space. The simplest class of wormholes are Schwarzschild wormholes – wormholes that behave as non-rotating, non-charged black holes, except that the event horizon serves as a connection to another wormhole elsewhere, instead of a point of no return.

This research presentation analyzes the attributes that make a Schwarzschild wormhole unsuitable for human travel, and examines the conditions that would have to hold …

The Equivalence Problem: Einstein­-Maxwell Solutions, Rebecca Whitney

Physics Capstone Projects

The “Equivalence Problem” is part of the Digital Einstein Project. The goal of this project is to create a digital and interactive library of all known solutions to the Einstein field equations in general relativity. The “Equivalence Problem” involves determining when two solutions are physically equivalent. This requires calculating physical and geometric features to characterize each solution independently of any coordinate system. One of the principal features used to characterize the solutions is the degree of symmetry or the isometry group of the space­-time metric. We have focused on the solutions to the Einstein­-Maxwell field equations and compared the isometry …

The Schwarzschild Solution And Timelike Geodesics, Matthew Ross

Physics Capstone Projects

General Relativity is the standard theory of the gravitational interaction. It allows us to cal- culate the motions and interactions of particles in a non-Euclidean space-time. This presentation will present the derivation of the Schwarzschild metric tensor field by finding a solution of the Einstein Equation for a non-rotating, static vacuum. A general form of the metric for a static, spherically symmetric spacetime will be used to calculate the Riemann curvature tensor and sub- sequently the Ricci tensor and Ricci scalar which will then be used to find a vaccum solution to the Einstein Equation. Once the solutions of the …

The Schwarzschild Solution And Timelike Geodesics, Matthew B. Ross

Physics Capstone Projects

General Relativity is a major area of study in physics. It allows us to calculate the motion and interaction of particles in a non-Euclidean space-time. This presentation will examine the process of finding the Schwarzschild metric tensor field by finding a solution of the Einstein Equation for a non-rotating spherical mass. A general form of the Schwarzschild metric tenor field will be used to calculate the Riemann curvature tensor and subsequently the Ricci tensor and Ricci scalar which will be used to find a vacuum solution to the Einstein Equation. Once the solutions of the Einstein Equation are found, they …