Eccentric Black Hole Mergers: Search and Interpretation with Gravitational Waves

来自两个合并的黑洞的引力波的发现打开了一扇了解宇宙的新窗口。然而，尽管不断有新的发现，但使黑洞合并的物理过程仍然不清楚。拟议中的研究将通过瞄准通过引力波发射保持可观察到的偏心轨道的合并来探索这一起源问题。该项目将开发一种有针对性的优化算法，以寻找在LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA即将进行的观测运行中使用的偏心合并。这些研究活动将为研究生提供建模和数据分析方面的培训，这些技能需求很大，对社会有很大的好处。此外，小组成员将进行外展活动，以教育和启发公众认识这一新的物理和天文学领域。该计划的第一个主题是提高搜索对古怪合并的敏感度。这将使用模拟的偏心引力波形并优化搜索参数来检测这些波形。该项目的第二个主题将是这种敏感性的特征。为了能够对未来的探测进行天体物理解释，需要确定对所有预期引力波形的搜索范围。通过这些步骤，该项目将有助于最大限度地提高下一次LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA观测运行的能力，以阐明新发现的黑洞合并的起源。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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。

The discovery of gravitational waves from two merging black holes opened a new window on the Universe. Nevertheless, despite ongoing new discoveries, the physical process that makes black holes merge is still not understood. The proposed research will probe this question of origin by targeting mergers that retain eccentric orbits observable through their gravitational wave emission. The project will develop a targeted algorithm optimized to find eccentric mergers to be used during LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA’s upcoming observing runs. These research activities will provide training for graduate students in modeling and data analysis, skillsets which are in great demand and of great benefit to society. In addition, members of the group will engage in outreach activities in order to educate and inspire the public about this new field of physics and astronomy.The first theme of the project is the enhancement of search sensitivity to eccentric mergers. This will be carried out using simulated eccentric gravitational waveforms and optimizing search parameters to detect these waveforms. The second theme of the project will be the characterization of this sensitivity. The reach of the search needs to be established for the full range of expected gravitational waveforms in order to enable the astrophysical interpretation of future detections. With these steps the project will help maximize the ability of the next LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA observing runs to elucidate the origin of newly detected black hole mergers.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.