Abstract
Gravitational physics is a field that centers around analyzing the physical implications and theoretical consequences of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. For decades, gravitational physics was a niche field restricted to mostly theoretical conjecture and mathematical investigations. However, in the past few years, the detection of significant gravitational phenomena has caused gravitational physics to grow into a high-interest field with a multitude of subfields and applications in both theoretical and experimental realms. With the ability to now utilize data to test long-standing theories and motivate the development of new ones, as well as merge the study of gravitational physics with other areas of cosmology, it is clear we are entering a new age of gravity. As such, it is worthwhile to provide an accessible introduction to the field of gravitational physics to give insight into its rising relevance. This paper serves as a preliminary review of gravitational physics, beginning with the basic concept and ideas of general relativity and discussing some of the more prominent subfields of gravitational physics, such as alternate gravity theory, gravitational wave astronomy, and quantum gravity. We address the motivations behind alternative and modified theories of gravity and explain some of the most prevalent gravity theories, f(R) gravity and Moffat’s Scalar-Tensor-Vector gravity. We also discuss the existence of gravitational waves and some of the exciting prospects posed by gravitational waves astronomy. In addition, we examine the recent detection of a gravitational wave background by the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves and the computation of the Hubble constant through gravitational wave data. We conclude by briefly assessing string theory and loop quantum gravity, the two most prominent theories in quantum gravity.
