PHYS 516 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Course Schedule

Lectures will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 - 13:50 h Central US in 276 Loomis Laboratory.

For details on semester dates, registration deadlines, etc., please check the Academic Calendar.

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The topics covered are the following:

In the table below, "MS" stands for "Mathematical sidetrack." Lecture notes will be available for download after every lecture.

In the column "Text suggestions", "P:X.Y" stands for Chapter X, Section Y, from the E. Poisson's textbook. Links to other supplemental material will be posted under this column occasionally. Check it frequently!

Week Date Lectures Homework Text suggestions
1
Tuesday
01/21/2025
 Welcome and Lecture 1
Lagrangian formulation		 Lect. Notes 01 P:4.1.1 to P:4.1.3
Thursday
01/23/2025
 Lecture 2
Lagrangian formulation
(MS A: Hypersurfaces)		 Lect. Notes 02 P:1.7 and P:3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4.1 to 3.4.2
2
Tuesday
01/28/2025
 Lecture 3
Lagrangian formulation
(MS A: Hypersurfaces)		    
Thursday
01/30/2025
 Lecture 4
Lagrangian formulation		    
3
Tuesday
02/04/2025
 Lecture 5
3+1 decomposition		    
Thursday
02/06/2025
 Lecture 6
3+1 decomposition		    
4
Tuesday
02/11/2025
 Lecture 7
3+1 decomposition		    
Thursday
02/13/2025
 Lecture 8
Hamiltonian formulation		    
5
Tuesday
02/18/2025
 Lecture 9
Hamiltonian formulation		    
Thursday
02/20/2025
 Lecture 10
Hamiltonian formulation		    
6
Tuesday
02/25/2025
 Lecture 11
MS B: Congruences		    
Thursday
02/27/2025
 Lecture 12
MS B: Congruences		    
7
Tuesday
03/04/2025
 Lecture 13
Stationary and spherically symmetric black holes		    
Thursday
03/06/2025
 Lecture 14
Horizons: event, apparent, and Killing		    
8
Tuesday
03/11/2025
 Lecture 15
Stationary and axisymmetric black holes		    
Thursday
03/13/2025
 Lecture 16
Stationary and axisymmetric black holes		    
9
Tuesday
03/18/2025
 Spring break (no class)
Thursday
03/20/2025
 Spring break (no class)
10
Tuesday
03/25/2025
 Lecture 17
Stationary and axisymmetric black holes		    
Thursday
03/27/2025
 Lecture 18
Energy and angular momentum, Smarr's formula, and the variation law		    
11
Tuesday
04/01/2025
 Lecture 19
Energy and angular momentum, Smarr's formula, and the variation law		    
Thursday
04/03/2025
 Lecture 20
Energy and angular momentum, Smarr's formula, and the variation law		    
12
Tuesday
04/08/2025
 Lecture 21
General black holes and their mechanics		    
Thursday
04/10/2025
 Lecture 22
General black holes and their mechanics		    
13
Tuesday
04/15/2025
 Lecture 23
General black holes and their mechanics		    
Thursday
04/17/2025
 Lecture 24
General black holes and their mechanics		    
14
Tuesday
04/22/2025
 Lecture 25
Kerr geodesics		    
Thursday
04/24/2025
 Lecture 26
Semirelativistic approximation and the self-force		    
15
Tuesday
04/29/2025
 Lecture 27
Black hole perturbation theory		    
Thursday
05/01/2025
 Lecture 28
Black hole perturbation theory		    
16
Tuesday
05/06/2025
 Lecture 29
Black hole perturbation theory		    
Thursday
05/08/2025
 Lecture 30
Black hole perturbation theory		    
  Final exams' week
05/09/2025 - 05/15/2025		 Takehome final exam:
TBA