Gravitational Waves Beyond the Boxes II

Apr 4, 2022, 8:30 a.m. → Apr 8, 2022, 5:00 p.m. America/Toronto

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Daniel Siegel (Perimeter Institute & University of Guelph), Huan Yang (Perimeter Institute & University of Guelph), Luis Lehner (Perimeter Institute), Reed Essick (Perimeter Institute), Suvodip Mukherjee (Perimeter Institute), William East (Perimeter Institute)

Multi-band gravitational wave signals provide a new observational probe to study a broad range of topics in cosmology and fundamental physics. We plan to discuss what can be learned from gravitational waves and how robust current techniques are. We will discuss how accurately and robustly the Hubble parameter can be measured from gravitational wave sources, what we can learn about the remaining 95% of the Universe using gravitational waves, theoretical predictions from numerical simulations and how well these can be captured in waveform models, and robust data analysis techniques that can account for waveform uncertainties.

This workshop aims to bring together active researchers and experts in the field to discuss the key questions that can be explored using multi-band gravitational-wave observations, gauge the potential sources of uncertainty as well as possible ways to mitigate them and discuss novel ideas in the area.

PIRSA:  https://pirsa.org/C22013

Perimeter Institute will make every effort to host this workshop as an in-person event.  However, we reserve the right to change to an online program to align with changes in regulations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Territorial Land Acknowledgement

Perimeter Institute acknowledges that it is situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples.

Perimeter Institute is located on the Haldimand Tract. After the American Revolution, the tract was granted by the British to the Six Nations of the Grand River and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation as compensation for their role in the war and for the loss of their traditional lands in upstate New York. Of the 950,000 acres granted to the Haudenosaunee, less than 5 percent remains Six Nations land. Only 6,100 acres remain Mississaugas of the Credit land.

We thank the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Neutral peoples for hosting us on their land.

Monday, April 4

8:30 a.m. Registration

1 Welcome and Opening Remarks

Speakers: Daniel Siegel (Perimeter Institute & University of Guelph), Huan Yang (Perimeter Institute & University of Guelph), Luis Lehner (Perimeter Institute), Reed Essick (Perimeter Institute), Suvodip Mukherjee (Perimeter Institute), William East (Perimeter Institute)

2 Measure the cosmic expansion history of the Universe using GW sources

Speaker: Jonathan Gair (Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics)

3 Cross-correlation technique in GW cosmology

Speaker: Benjamin Wandelt (Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris)

11:00 a.m. Coffee Break

11:30 a.m. Discussion Session: Opportunities & Challenges for Cosmology

12:15 p.m. Lunch

4 Matter in Extreme Conditions

Speaker: Katerina Chatziioannou (California Institute of Technology)

2:15 p.m. Discussion Session

3:15 p.m. Coffee Break

3:45 p.m. Discussion Session: Opportunities & Challenges for Compact Binary Models

4:30 p.m. Monday Summary & Discussion

Tuesday, April 5

5 Matter Effects in Waveform Models

Speaker: Geraint Pratten (University of Birmingham)

6 Dark matter, PBHs, boson clouds

Speaker: Salvatore Vitale (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

11:00 a.m. Coffee Break

11:30 a.m. Discussion Session: Opportunities & Challenges with Multiple Observables

12:15 p.m. Lunch

7 Multi-band GW observation from the third-generation detectors - presented virtually

Speaker: Hsin-Yu Chen (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

8 Pulsar Timing Arrays - presented virtually

Speaker: Xavier Siemens (Oregon State University)

3:15 p.m. Coffee Break

3:45 p.m. Discussion Session: Advantages & Challenges

4:30 p.m. Tuesday Summary & Discussion

Wednesday, April 6

9 Astrophysical populations and waveform models to test fundamental physics

Speaker: Maximiliano Isi (Flatiron Institute)

10 Astrophysical populations and waveform modelling challenges to study cosmology

Speaker: Maya Fishbach (Northwestern University)

11:00 a.m. Coffee Break

11:30 a.m. Discussion Session: Contamination within Catalogs and Systematics

12:15 p.m. Lunch

11 Gravitational-wave observations of compact binary mergers

The first direct detection of gravitational waves from merging black holes in 2015 has opened up new avenues to studying gravity in the strong-field regime, inferring the mass and spin distributions of astrophysical black holes and probing the nature of ultra-dense nuclear matter in the interior of neutron stars. Seven years on, we count approximately 100 detections of gravitational waves from compact binary mergers.

These observations are goldmines for precise measurements of the source properties and the discovery of new physics at the edge of our current understanding. Pioneering innovations in detector technology will soon let us put black holes under a microscope, allowing us to push Einstein's theory of gravity to the limit. To do so will require exquisitely accurate theoretical models for the emitted gravitational-wave signal if we are to unlock the full discovery potential.

In this talk, I will discuss some of the most spectacular discoveries from the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Virgo and their implications. I will also highlight some of the pitfalls and challenges in interpreting gravitational-wave detections.

Speaker: Patricia Schmidt (University of Birmingham)

3:00 p.m. Colloquium Reception

4:00 p.m. Lightening Talks

Thursday, April 7

12 Astrophysical stochastic background

Speaker: Thomas Callister (Flatiron Institute)

13 Cosmological stochastic background - presented virtually

Speaker: Raphael Flauger (University of California, San Diego)

11:00 a.m. Coffee Break

11:30 a.m. Discussion Session: Possible Scenarios of the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background

12:15 p.m. Lunch

14 Analytic waveform models

Speaker: Riccardo Sturani (ICTP SAIFR)

2:15 p.m. Discussion Session

3:15 p.m. Coffee Break

3:45 p.m. Discussion Session: Progress & Open Problems on Waveform Modelling

4:30 p.m. Thursday Summary & Discussion

Friday, April 8

15 Modeling waveform uncertainty - presented virtually

Speaker: Michael Pürrer (Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics)

10:00 a.m. Discussion Session: Waveform Uncertainty

11:00 a.m. Coffee Break

11:30 a.m. Final Thoughts & Summary

16 Closing Remarks

Speakers: Daniel Siegel (Perimeter Institute & University of Guelph), Huan Yang (Perimeter Institute & University of Guelph), Luis Lehner (Perimeter Institute), Reed Essick (Perimeter Institute), Suvodip Mukherjee (Perimeter Institute), William East (Perimeter Institute)

1:00 p.m. Lunch