Uncovering the Origin of Black Hole Mergers using Orbital Eccentricity

该奖项支持NSF的LIGO引力波天文台与Virgo和KAGRA引力波探测器合作发现的黑洞合并起源的研究。引力波的发现为研究宇宙打开了一扇新的窗口，提供了以前无法获得的关于宇宙事件的信息。黑洞合并可以解释爱因斯坦的广义相对论可能在哪里失效，恒星和其他天体是如何演化的，以及宇宙是如何膨胀的。在授奖期间，LIGO、Virgo和KAGRA预计将观测到空前数量的黑洞合并，远远超过之前所有探测的总和，从而能够对潜在过程进行新的探测。它还将为探测特殊事件提供机会，这些特殊事件只占合并的一小部分，但携带着关于宇宙部分的独特信息。这项研究将利用一种观测指纹来探测黑洞合并的起源，这种指纹可以帮助区分不同的天体物理形成场景：轨道偏心。该项目将执行从记录的引力波数据中获得天体物理学洞察力所需的全部任务：在整个奖励期间，它将在LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA观测期间搜索偏心合并；它将检查已发现事件的可恢复属性，以确定其可能的偏心；它将把观测到的事件与多种形成情景的预期进行比较，以揭示探测到的黑洞合并的天体物理起源。其中很大一部分工作将由学生完成，这有助于促进具有全球竞争力的STEM劳动力的教育。学生将获得强大的计算和数据科学技能，并将为多信使观察运动所需的国家网络基础设施做出贡献。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The award supports research on the origin of black hole mergers discovered by NSF's LIGO gravitational-wave observatory, in collaboration with the Virgo and KAGRA gravitational wave detectors. The discovery of gravitational waves opened a new window on the Universe, providing information on cosmic events that previously proved inaccessible. Black hole mergers can elucidate where Einstein's general theory of relativity might break down, how stars and other astrophysical objects evolve, and how the Universe is expanding. During the award period, LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA are expected to observe an unprecedented number of black hole mergers, far exceeding all previous detections combined, enabling new probes of the underlying processes. It will also provide opportunity for the detection of special events that make up a small fraction of mergers but carry unique information about parts of the Universe. The research will probe the origin of black hole mergers utilizing an observational fingerprint that can help distinguish between different astrophysical formation scenarios: orbital eccentricity. The project will carry out the full range of tasks needed to gain astrophysical insight from recorded gravitational wave data: it will search for eccentric mergers during LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observing runs throughout the award period; it will examine the recoverable properties of the discovered events to establish their possible eccentricity; and it will compare observed events with expectations from multiple formation scenarios to uncover the astrophysical origin of the detected black hole mergers. A significant part of the work will be carried out by students, helping advance the education of a globally competitive STEM workforce. Students will acquire strong computational and data science skills and will contribute to the national cyberinfrastructure required for multi-messenger observation campaigns.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.