Rapid, High-Fidelity Numerical Models of Gravitational Waves from Generic Binary Black Hole Mergers

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This award supports research in relativity and relativistic astrophysics and it addresses the priority areas of NSF's "Windows on the Universe" Big Idea. The direct detection of gravitational waves by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory has realized a long-awaited promise to open a new window on the Universe. These waves typically originate from other galaxies through a violent merger of two black holes or neutron stars. These waves, which travel over galactic distances to reach us, provide clues about the black holes, spacetime, and Einstein's theory of general relativity. To realize the full scientific potential of current and future gravitational wave experiments, a model of the expected gravitational wave signal must be both highly accurate and very fast to evaluate. This award will support a multi-disciplinary approach to gravitational-wave modeling to produce new algorithms and computer programs aimed at maximizing the scientific output of gravitational wave observations. The models produced as part of this research will be especially useful for analyzing powerful black hole mergers and novel eccentric binary black hole systems. This research project, and more generally gravitational wave science, will continue to engage the public in these discoveries through outreach as well as train a diverse group of students with a strong STEM background to prepare them for careers that require technical and computational skills.This award will support the development, implementation, and use of numerical techniques designed to overcome some of the most urgent challenges in gravitational-wave science. Crucially, the interpretation of gravitational wave datasets requires access to a model which is both fast-to-evaluate and faithful to the relevant physics. Using traditional techniques, these two requirements are often at odds with one another. Recently, a set of targeted data-driven surrogate modeling tools have emerged as a means to accurately reproduce numerical relativity waveforms at arbitrary parameter values within a fraction of a second. The goal of this project is to build on these recent successes and to (i) continue the development of this methodology by extending it to handle more challenging cases including eccentricity and intermediate-mass ratio systems, (ii) construct waveform model error estimators to be used in parameter inference or for model refinement, (iii) implement these methods and models within existing public codes so that they are widely available, and (vi) carry out high-impact scientific studies made possible by the rapid, high-fidelity waveform models that have been built.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.