Gravitational Waves from Black Hole Binaries

对于当前一代地面探测器(如LIGO)和下一代天基探测器(如LISA)来说，双星黑洞系统都是最有趣和最有可能产生引力波的系统之一。从探测的角度来看，这类系统很有希望，因为它们被认为会以引力波的形式释放出巨大的能量，使它们成为宇宙中本质上最明亮的引力波发射器之一，而且在宇宙学的距离内都可以探测到。然而，人们对它们的数量、形成、演化和引力波的产生知之甚少。这项研究将解决黑洞双星系统的某些关键方面，这些系统目前处于技术上可行的边界，以及成功探测和描述这些系统所需的条件。将开始工作，使质量相当的黑洞双星最后一次俯冲的数值模拟运行得更长、更稳定，以产生更长、更可靠的波形，供数据分析使用。这项结合了解析和数值技术的研究的目标是提供一系列越来越现实的预测。这项在布朗斯维尔为拉美裔服务的德克萨斯大学的这项研究将有助于进一步发展一种研究环境，在这种环境中，研究生和本科生都可以作为科学家蓬勃发展，让他们在来自世界各地的领先博士后研究人员的陪伴下，及时接触一线研究。这种环境对于让传统上代表性不足的拉美裔人口更充分地参与国家和国际科学界至关重要。

Binary black hole systems are among the most interesting and likely sources of gravitational waves for both the current generation of ground-based detectors, such as LIGO, and for the next generation of space-based detectors, such as LISA. Such systems are promising from a detection standpoint because of the huge amount of energy they are believed to release in gravitational waves, making them among the intrinsically brightest gravitational wave emitters in the universe,and detectable to cosmological distances. Little is known, however, about their population, formation, evolution, and gravitational wave production.This research will address certain key aspects of black hole binary systems which are at the current boundary of what is technically feasible and what is needed for successful detection and description of these systems. Work will be initiated to make the numerical simulations of the final plunge of comparable mass black hole binaries run longer and more stably to produce longer and more reliable waveforms for use in data analysis. The goal of this research, which combines analytic and numerical techniques, is to provide a series of increasingly realistic predictions. This research at the Hispanic-serving University of Texas at Brownsville will aid in the further development of a research environment in which both graduate and undergraduate students can flourish as scientists, by exposing them to timely front-line research in the company of leading postdoctoral researchers from around the world. Such an environment is crucial in allowing a traditionally under-represented Hispanic population to participate more fully in the national and international scientific communities.