Pablo Laguna, Professor of Physics and Director

Contact Information   Email: plaguna [at] gatech.edu   Phone: (404) 385-3907   Fax: (404) 894-9958   Web: http://www.cra.gatech.edu/pablo   Office: 1-63 Boggs Bldg

Research

Supercomputer technology has changed dramatically the landscape of General Relativity. Numerical Relativity, namely the formulation of Einstein field equations in a way amenable to numerical analysis, has emerged as a field of its own. I am a numerical relativist studying astrophysical systems where general relativistic effects play a fundamental role. Currently, the primary focus of my research is the numerical simulation of the coalescence of black hole binaries. The collision of black holes is a central problem in General Relativity. This problem will not only expose the complex, non-linear nature of Einstein's field equations, but it will also bring General Relativity much closer in harmony with the observations of gravitational radiation expected to take place in the near future.

Professional Experience

• 2008 - Director, Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Tech
• 2008 - Professor, Physics, Georgia Tech
• 2008 - Adjunct Professor, Computational Science and Engineering Division, Georgia Tech
• 2001 - 2008 Associate Director, Center for Gravitational Wave Physics, Penn State
• 2001 - 2006 Associate Director, Institute for GravitationalPhysics Geometry, Penn State
• 2000 - 2008 Professor, Depts. of Astronomy Astrophysics and Physics, Penn State
• 1998 - 2000 Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Astronomy Astrophysics, Penn State
• 1992 - 1998 Assist. Professor, Dept. of Astronomy Astrophysics, Penn State
• 1990 - 1992 Postdoc, Theoretical Astrophysics Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory
• 1989 - 1990 Postdoc, Physics Department, Drexel University
• 1987 - 1989 Postdoc, Center for Relativity, University of Texas at Austin
• 1982 - 1987 Ph.D., Physics, University of Texas at Austin
• 1977 - 1981 B.Sc., Physics, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Mexico