courseshub.worldAstrophysics & Computational Science
RESEARCH TRACK · 4 MODULES · ~150 HOURS

Astrophysics & Computational Science

From curved spacetime to quantum circuits

A research-level track covering numerical general relativity, gravitational-wave astronomy, and quantum computing applied to the simulation of compact astrophysical objects. Built around the Cactus/Carpet/CarpetX software ecosystem used by the global NR community.

CORE EQUATIONS

\( R_{\mu\nu} - \tfrac{1}{2}g_{\mu\nu}R + \Lambda g_{\mu\nu} = \frac{8\pi G}{c^4}\,T_{\mu\nu} \) Einstein field equations

\( \partial_t \tilde{\gamma}_{ij} = -2\alpha \tilde{A}_{ij} + \beta^k \partial_k \tilde{\gamma}_{ij} + \tilde{\gamma}_{ik}\partial_j\beta^k + \tilde{\gamma}_{jk}\partial_i\beta^k - \tfrac{2}{3}\tilde{\gamma}_{ij}\partial_k\beta^k \) BSSN evolution

\( |x\rangle = A^{-1}|b\rangle \) HHL quantum linear solver

4
MODULES
1
AVAILABLE NOW
29
TOTAL CHAPTERS
150
ESTIMATED HOURS
Graduate / Research
LEVEL

RECOMMENDED LEARNING PATHWAY

NR 01
Cactus
GW 02
Gravitational-Wave Data Analysis
CS 03
Spectral Methods in Numerical Relativity
QC 04
Quantum Gravity

Modules 02–04 are independent after completing Module 01. Total track: ~150 hours.

MODULES

NRModule 01Available
8 ch · 23 sec
~40h

Cactus / Perspectives of Quantum Computing in Numerical GR

BSSN · Z4c · AMR · Quantum circuit mappings

Complete 8-chapter module: ADM decomposition, BSSN/Z4c formalisms, Cactus framework anatomy (flesh, thorns, parameter files), Berger-Oliger AMR with Carpet and CarpetX, HHL/VQE/QPE quantum algorithms, quantum circuit mappings for GR operators, and hybrid classical-quantum workflows.

KEY TOPICS
Full BSSN & Z4c evolution equationsProduction Cactus .par files for BBHQuantum Lichnerowicz elliptic solver (VQLS)Carleman linearization for nonlinear BSSN
ENTER MODULE →
GWModule 02Coming Soon
~35h

Gravitational-Wave Data Analysis

Matched filtering · Bayesian inference · LIGO/LISA

Matched filtering for compact binary coalescence, power spectral density estimation, Bayesian parameter estimation with nested sampling, the PyCBC / Bilby / LALSuite ecosystem, and the physics of O1–O4 events.

KEY TOPICS
Wiener optimal filter derivationFisher information matrixNested sampling (dynesty)LISA: EMRI & SMBHB
Coming Soon
CSModule 03In Development
~30h

Spectral Methods in Numerical Relativity

SpECTRE · Chebyshev · hp-AMR · Task-based parallelism

Mathematical foundations of spectral and pseudo-spectral methods for NR, the SpECTRE code architecture, hp-adaptive refinement, domain decomposition for binary black holes, and LISA-era waveform production requirements.

KEY TOPICS
Spectral convergence theorySpECTRE task graph architecturehp-AMR for BBHCactus vs SpECTRE comparison
Coming Soon
QCModule 04Coming Soon
~45h

Quantum Gravity: Lattice and Information Approaches

LQG · Spin foams · AdS/CFT · Tensor networks

Loop quantum gravity, spin foam models, the AdS/CFT correspondence and holographic entanglement entropy, tensor-network descriptions of quantum geometry, and the black hole information paradox.

KEY TOPICS
Ashtekar variables & area quantizationEPRL spin foam amplitudesRyu-Takayanagi formulaMERA tensor networks
Coming Soon

TRACK PREREQUISITES

Calculus & Analysis
Multivariable calculus, tensor index notation, covariant derivatives
PDEs
Elliptic, hyperbolic, parabolic classification; characteristics; well-posedness
Λ
Linear Algebra
Eigenvalue problems, sparse matrices, iterative solvers (CG, GMRES)
c
Special Relativity
4-vectors, Minkowski metric, Lorentz invariants; GR not required at entry
ψ
Basic QM (optional)
Required from Chapter 6 onward; not needed for Chapters 1–5
py
Python / Fortran
For running Cactus simulations and quantum backend examples

CONNECTIONS ACROSS THE ECOSYSTEM

quantum-proteins.ai →

Quantum tunneling in curved spacetime — hydrogen-transfer suppression in bicyclic scaffolds

Cities as Complex Systems →

Shared AMR / PDE simulation methodology — CarpetX and SUMO both use task-based adaptive solvers