Gravitational wave observations as astrophysical probesConfirmed

by Aditya Vijaykumar (CITA / University of Toronto)

Thursday Nov 6, 2025, 1:00 PM → 2:30 PM America/Toronto

PI/4-400 - Space Room (Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics)

In the ten years since the first GW detection, the LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA detectors have amassed around 200 compact binary mergers. In this talk, I will describe how these compact binaries can be used as astrophysical probes. I will show how we extract population properties from GW data, emphasizing a defining feature of GW astronomy: the ability to accurately and precisely model selection effects (the GW analogue of the Malmquist bias). I will then present what we have learned so far from the current public catalog (GWTC-4.0) about the demographics and formation channels of compact binaries. If time permits, I will also highlight how subtle signatures of center-of-mass motion in the GW signal can reveal the environments in which these binaries live.