Black Hole Mergers: from simulation to detection

引力波是天体间剧烈相互作用所产生的引力涟漪。爱因斯坦在1916年首次预言了它们的存在，但由于它们在到达地球之前经过了令人难以置信的长距离旅行而变得虚弱，所以至今还没有被探测到。目前，一些国家正在完成最终可能看到引力波的探测器的建造工作，其中包括由美国国家科学基金会资助的LIGO探测器。这类仪器最容易探测到的引力波将来自碰撞的黑洞。不幸的是，如果没有强大的技术从仪器噪声中提取引力波数据，即使是这些事件也很可能无法检测到。这项由该奖项资助的研究将使用尖端的计算机模拟来提供有关黑洞碰撞产生的引力波的部分但至关重要的信息。这些信息将被用来开发强大的新技术来探测引力波信号。证实爱因斯坦关于引力波的预测本身就是一个值得称赞的科学目标。然而，还有一个更大的希望。引力波可以由物体产生，比如黑洞，这些物体不能以任何其他方式直接观察到。由于人们对这类天体知之甚少，几乎可以肯定，首次直接观察它们将会对它们的起源和工作原理产生新的见解。此外，人们普遍认为，引力波将揭示甚至还没有被设想的宇宙的某些方面，从而彻底改变目前关于宇宙本身的性质的图景。虽然这场革命需要数年时间才能实现，但这一奖项使我们能够迈出重要的第一步，预测应该寻求什么以及如何寻求它。

Gravitational waves are ripples of gravity thrown off by violent interactions of astrophysical bodies. They were first predicted to exist by Einstein in 1916, but because they are weakened by traveling incredibly large distances before reaching Earth, they have not yet been detected. Presently, a number of countries are completing the construction of detectors which might finally see gravitational waves, including the NSF-funded LIGO detectors. The gravitational waves which should be most easily detected by such instruments will come from colliding black holes. Unfortunately, even these events are likely to be undetectable without powerful techniques to extract the gravitational wave data from the instrumental noise. The research funded by this award will use cutting-edge computer simulations to provide partial, but vital, information about the gravitational waves from colliding black holes. This information will then be used to develop powerful new techniques for detecting the gravitational wave signals.The confirmation of Einstein's prediction of gravitational waves is a laudable scientific objective in itself. However, there is also a much greater promise. Gravitational waves can be produced by objects, like black holes, that cannot be directly observed in any other way. Because so little is known about such objects, it is almost certain that new insights into their origins and workings will result from observing them directly for the first time. Furthermore, it is widely believed that gravitational waves will reveal aspects of the universe that have not yet even been conceived of, thus revolutionizing the current picture of the nature of the cosmos itself. While this revolution will take years to realize, this award enables the importantfirst step of predicting what should be sought and how to seek it.