WoU-MMA: Inference about Gravitational-Wave Sources and Source Populations

该奖项支持相对论和相对论天体物理学的研究，并阐述了美国国家科学基金会“宇宙之窗”宏伟构想的优先领域。就在几年前，激光干涉仪引力波天文台(LIGO)开始了我们对宇宙认识的一场革命，第一次观测到了聚合的黑洞和中子星。时空中的这些涟漪携带着原本隐藏在视线之外的信息，使人们能够以独特的方式洞察我们宇宙中最具能量的瞬变现象。由于NSF的持续支持，引力波观测现在以越来越快的速度积累。之前未指明的来源现在是，也将会被发现。其中一些，如合并的中子星，可以产生相关的和独特的电磁辐射。这些新的来源和人口可能会推动我们预测可能发生的事情的前沿，或者挑战我们解释已经发生的事情的能力。各个震源的物理参数可以根据对其引力波和/或电磁辐射的近似预测，从观测信号中估计出来。同样，负责单个源或源集合的物理可以根据它们独特的或测量良好的集体属性，基于它们如何形成的模型来推断。这个项目的目标是帮助制作和解释这一新的宇宙普查，快速和可靠地识别新的事件和人口，以便为后续观测和建模提供信息。该项目有两个主要活动，旨在使对GW源的多信使观测实现其巨大的潜力。首先，该小组将为引力波源构建和运行高节奏、低延迟的参数和群体推理代码。该小组主要是为了解释LIGO的具体观测而创建的，它还将使用这些代码来评估和减轻天体物理结论在多大程度上依赖于关键不确定性：物质的存在(与真空相比)；我们对广义相对论的近似的准确性；以及在给定数据质量的情况下每个来源的重要性。其次，该团队将开发和使用新的现象学方法来解释宇宙多信息普查，强调基于详细物理模型的物理参数化和生成性方法。该项目的一个长期目标是帮助建立必要的框架，以发现和解释新的高影响星群，包括高质量和高质量比双星；双星中子星；中子星/黑洞双星；以及在其物理参数中具有独特可观察特征的更奇异的星群。该组织将提供基础设施，以支持快速参数估计和来源分类，以便为多人后续观察提供信息。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports research in relativity and relativistic astrophysics and it addresses the priority areas of NSF's "Windows on the Universe" Big Idea. Only a few years ago, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) began a revolution in our understanding of the universe, with the first gravitational wave (GW) observations of coalescing black holes and neutron stars. These ripples in spacetime carry information otherwise hidden from view, enabling unique insight into the most energetic transient phenomena in our universe. Due to ongoing NSF support, gravitational wave observations now accumulate at an ever-increasing pace. Previously unidentified sources are and will be uncovered. Some, like merging neutron stars, can produce associated and distinctive electromagnetic emission. These new sources and populations may push the frontiers of what we predict can happen, or challenge our capability to interpret what did happen. The physical parameters of individual sources can be estimated from observed signals based on approximate predictions of their gravitational wave and/or electromagnetic emission. Likewise, the physics responsible for an individual source or collection of sources can be deduced from their distinctive or well-measured collective properties, based on models for how they form. The goal of this project is to help produce and interpret this new cosmic census, rapidly and reliably identifying new events and populations to inform follow-up observations and modeling.This project has two major activities designed to enable multimessenger observations of GW sources to achieve their immense potential. First, the group will construct and operate high-cadence, low-latency parameter and population inference codes for gravitational wave sources. Principally created for interpreting LIGO's concrete observations, the group will also use these codes to assess and mitigate how much astrophysical conclusions depend on key uncertainties: the presence of matter (versus vacuum); the accuracy of our approximations to general relativity; and the significance of each source, given data quality. Second, the team will develop and employ new phenomenological methods with which to interpret the cosmic multimessenger census, emphasizing physically-parameterized and generative approaches based on detailed physical models. One long-term goal of this project is to help assemble the necessary framework for the discovery and interpretation of new high-impact populations, including high-mass and high-mass-ratio binaries; binary neutron stars; neutron star/black hole binaries; and more exotic populations with distinctive observable signatures in their physical parameters. The group will deliver infrastructure to support rapid parameter estimation and source classification to inform multimessenger followup observations.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.