CAREER: Physics and Astrophysics of Compact Binaries

这项职业奖支持密西西比大学对只包含黑洞和/或中子星(致密双星)的双星系统的物理学和天体物理学的研究。这些系统是目前和未来最有希望被LIGO和LISA等引力波观测站探测到的引力波来源之一。引力波数据分析的主要挑战之一在于从有噪声的探测器输出中提取系统发出的信号。为了成功提取，需要信号的准确的理论“模板”波形。这项研究将使用分析技术(如所谓的后牛顿近似和黑洞扰动理论)和数值模拟相结合的方法，提高对合并致密双星产生的引力波形的理论知识。该项目将探索未来引力波观测的潜力，以检验广义相对论的预测，而不是替代的引力理论。它还将通过研究引力波观测的天体物理含义，并通过刺激广义相对论社区和更大的天体物理学社区之间的互动，将更多的天文学投入到引力波天文学中。该奖项将部分支持在广义相对论、天体物理学和数据分析之间的高度跨学科领域培训一名学生和一名博士后。它还将支持一项长期的外联计划，以促进科学素养，并增加密西西比州物理科学的入学人数。外联活动将特别针对历史悠久的黑人学院和大学，以及密西西比河三角洲的大学和社区学院。

This CAREER award supports research at the University of Mississippi on the physics and astrophysics of double star systems containing only black holes and/or neutrons stars (compact binaries). These systems are among the most promising sources of gravitational waves to be detected by present and future gravitational-wave observatories, such as LIGO and and the space-based LISA. One of the main challenges in gravitational-wave data analysis consists in extracting the signal emitted by the system from the noisy detector output. For the extraction to be successful, accurate theoretical "template" waveforms of the signal are needed. This research will improve theoretical knowledge of gravitational waveforms from merging compact binaries using a combination of analytical techniques (such as the so-called post-Newtonian approximation and black hole perturbation theory) and numerical simulations. The project will explore the potential of future gravitational-wave observations to test the predictions of general relativity, as opposed to alternative theories of gravity. It will also "put more astronomy in gravitational-wave astronomy" by investigating the astrophysical implications of gravitational-wave observations, and by stimulating interactions between the general relativity community and the larger astrophysical community. The award will partially support the training of one student and one postdoc in the highly interdisciplinary field between general relativity, astrophysics and data analysis. It will also support a long-term outreach program to promote scientific literacy and increase enrollment in the physical sciences in Mississippi. Outreach activities will target in particular historically black colleges and universities, as well as universities and community colleges in the Mississippi Delta.