Strong-gravity compact objects and fundamental gravity tests in the era of gravitational-wave astronomy

迄今为止，引力波观测已经证实了4次双黑洞和1次双中子星合并事件。随着先进的LIGO在几年内达到设计灵敏度，预计每月或每周都会有探测到。新的数据将带来惊人的科学机会，以破译中子星和黑洞等非常紧凑的物体的重要天体物理现象，并将广义相对论的测试推向最极端的极限，并允许在基础物理学中发现。我的研究计划将侧重于利用传入的数据揭示“已知的未知”信息，并提出源建模和数据分析的新发展，以发现“未知的未知”。这项提议包含了一个雄心勃勃的五年计划，该计划针对引力波（天文学）物理学中一些最重要的问题，利用即将到来的观测。该计划还为第三代探测器制定了科学目标，以实现更令人兴奋的发现，加强加拿大在全球引力波社区的领导地位。该提案包括两个驱动主题：1)强场引力天体物理学和探测器设计。其目标是揭开隐藏在探测器数据流中的物理学，为指导观测提供新的见解，并提出提高数据质量的方法。我将研究与引力波发射有关的紧凑物体系统的动力学。我还将研究包括中子星在内的双星的电磁对应物与多信使观测的关系。此外，我将积极寻求想法，以帮助先进的探测器设计和新的数据分析方法来检测信号中的特定特征。2)具有强引力系统的基础物理学。我将研究修正的引力理论的动力学特征，以及基于观测到的引力波数据来测量或约束违反广义相对论的方法。这样的任务也得益于使用电磁波望远镜的测量，例如费米伽玛射线太空望远镜。从长远来看，为了提高在强引力制度下最大限度地检测非广义相对论效应的可探测性，我将构建现象学波形模板，其中包括在修正的引力理论中紧致双星合并的整个吸气-合并-环灭阶段。通过这些科学的发展，我将通过在这个令人惊叹的引力波天文学时代进行研究，培养学生和博士后掌握科学和沟通技巧。他们将获得宝贵的专业知识，为天体物理学的前沿做出贡献，并彻底改变我们对强引力天体物理系统的理解。

Four binary black hole and one binary neutron star merger events have been confirmed by gravitational-wave observations so far. With advanced LIGO reaching design sensitivity in a couple of years, detections are expected to arrive on a monthly or weekly basis. New data will bring amazing scientific opportunities to decipher important astrophysical phenomena of very compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes, and push tests of General Relativity to the most extreme limits and allow discoveries in fundamental physics. My research program will focus on unraveling information for “known unknowns” with incoming data, as well as propose new developments in source modelling and data analysis for discovering “unknown unknowns”.This proposal contains an ambitious 5-year plan which targets some of the most important questions in gravitational-wave (astro)physics, taking advantage of upcoming observations. Part of the program also develops science goals for 3rd-generation detectors to enable even more exciting discoveries, strengthening Canadian leadership in this worldwide effort of gravitational-wave community. The proposal comprises two driving themes:1) Strong-field gravitational astrophysics and detector design. The objectives are to unravel physics buried within the detector's data stream, provide new insights to guide observations, and propose methods to improve data quality. I will conduct research in the dynamics of compact object systems in connection to gravitational-wave emissions. I will also study electromagnetic counterparts of binaries that include neutron star(s) in relation to multi-messenger observations. In addition, I shall actively pursue ideas to aid in advanced detector designs and new data analysis approaches for detecting specific characteristics in the signals. 2) Fundamental physics with strongly-gravitating systems. I will examine dynamical signatures of modified theories of gravity and methods to measure, or constrain, violations of General Relativity based on observed gravitational-wave data. Such a task also benefits from measurements using electromagnetic-wave telescopes, e.g., the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. In the longer term, to boost the detectability of non-General Relativity effects that are maximized in the strong-gravity regime, I shall construct phenomenological waveform templates that include the entire inspiral-merger-ringdown stage of compact binary mergers in modified theories of gravity.Through these scientific developments, I will train students and postdocs to acquire scientific and communication skills, by performing research in this amazing era of gravitational-wave astronomy. They will gain invaluable expertise, make contributions to the cutting-edge frontier of astrophysics and revolutionize our understanding of strongly-gravitating astrophysical systems.