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Author: Marcus Mohring

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Fundamental Physics Meets Waveforms With LISA, September 2-6 2024, at AEI Potsdam

With the recent adoption of the LISA mission by the European Space Agency, we have entered a new exciting phase. Now, more than ever, there is a need to prepare the theoretical and data-analysis tools that will allow us to fully exploit LISA’s capabilities, and probe strong gravity and fundamental physics in unprecedented ways.

With that in mind, we are pleased to announce an in-person meeting of the Fundamental Physics and Waveform Working Groups of the LISA Consortium. The workshop is hosted by the “Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity” division at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) in Potsdam, Germany.

The first two days of the meeting, September 2-3, will be dedicated to talks and discussions on ongoing and possible future projects carried out within the Fundamental Physics Working Group. The focus will be on identifying the theoretical developments and the data-analysis tools needed to perform strong-field tests of General Relativity with LISA.

The third day of the meeting, September 4, is organized jointly by the Fundamental Physics and Waveform Working Groups and aims at brainstorming on common needs and goals since waveforms are the “bread and butter” for extracting information about the nature of black holes, their environment, and gravity.

The final two days of the meeting, September 5-6, will be dedicated solely to the Waveform Working Group. The objective is to identify significant waveform developments for various gravitational-wave sources, necessary for LISA data validation and science exploitation.

The workshop is limited to 70 participants on any given day, except Wednesday, where we aim at 140 participants. Register now!

Workshop Website

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11th KAGRA International Workshop (KIW-11), April 16-17, 2024, Taiwan

The 11th KAGRA international workshop (KIW-11) will be held on 16-17 April 2024 in Taichung City, Taiwan. KIW focuses not only on the KAGRA project, but also encompasses all related fields such as other gravitational wave experiments, gravitational wave sciences, and multi-messenger astronomy.

On behalf of the KAGRA under the GWOSC of the LVK collaboration, we also host open data workshop (ODW) in Taiwan on Apr 18-20 of 2024.

Scientific Organizing Committee

  • Masaki Ando (co-chair, The U. Tokyo, Japan)
  • Sadakazu Haino (co-chair, AS, Taiwan)
  • Eleonora Capocasa (APC, France)
  • Michael Coughlin (U. Minnesota, USA)
  • Albert Kong (NTHU, Taiwan)
  • Sachiko Kuroyanagi (Madrid, IFT, Spain)
  • Jun Gyu Park (Yonsei University, Korea)
  • Takahiro Sawada (ICRR, Japan)
  • Tatsuki Washimi (NAOJ, Japan)
  • Xing-Jiang Zhu (BNU, China)

Local Organization Committee

  • Ray-Kuang Lee (co-Chair, NTHU)
  • Albert Kong (co-Chair, NTHU)
  • Sadakazu Haino (AS)
  • Kwan-Lok Li (NCKU)
  • Lupin Chun-Che Lin (NCKU)
  • Guo-Chin Liu (TKU)
  • Kuo-Chuan Pan (NTHU)
  • Martin Spinrath (NTHU)
  • Pin-Wei Wang (NMNS)
  • Yi Yang (NYCU)

Workshop Website

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12th Aegean Summer School, September 9-14, 2024, Sifnos, Greece

The aim of the 12th Aegean Summer School is to discuss the recent developments in theory in Gravity and Cosmology and in observations discussing the LIGO, VIRGO, LISA and BINGO experiments.

The 12th Aegean Summer School will take place in the town of Apollonia in the island of Sifnos, in the Cultural Centre “Marianthi Simou” and it is organized and sponsored by the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, the University Paris-Sud, Orsay, France, the University of Tuebingen, Germany, the University Nottingham, England, the University Sapienza, Rome, Italy, the University Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso, Chile, the University Sao Paulo, Brazil and the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST).

One of the most successful theory describing cosmic objects, their interactions and their time evolution, is the Einstein’s theory of Gravity. One of the main prediction of the Gravity theory is the existence of Gravitational Waves (GW), the ripples of space-time. The latest GW detections by ground-based interferometers and the discovery of a binary pulsar whose orbital period changes in accordance with the predicted GW emission, verified the predictions of the Einstein’s theory and opened up an intensive activity of understanding all aspects of the GWs and the implications of this discovery to alternative theories of Gravities and their Cosmological implications.

The modified gravity theories can give us important information on the structure and properties of the compact objects predicted by these theories and also the observational signatures which they can introduce. It is expected that future ground and space-borne detectors will improve our perception of gravitational interactions in particular will shed light into the existence of exotic compact objects, like hairy black holes and wormholes. These compact objects provide a window into the microscopic structure of spacetime in Quantum Gravity and the hope is to understand the nature of their interior, potential applications to Quantum Cosmology, and the development of further connections to quantum information and laboratory quantum simulation. The formation of these compact objects may also trigger possible holographic phase transitions to other compact objects.

School Website

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Seventh International Conferenceon the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime, September 16-19 2024

The spacetime conferences bring together physicists and philosophers and provide a forum where aspects and implications of the nature and ontology of spacetime are discussed. The Scientific Organizing Committee hopes that these meetings will become one of the preferred biennial forums for reporting research results and having fruitful discussions with colleagues.

To have an idea of the location and the hotel, see pictures taken during the Third Minkowski Meeting.

16-19 September 2024

Hotel Sandy Beach
Albena 9620 (near) Varna, Bulgaria

Organized by the Minkowski Institute (Montreal)

Conference Website

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Enabling Future Gravitational Wave Astrophysics in the Milli-Hertz Regime, 30 June – 25 July 2025, Garching

Join us to explore the uncharted milli-Hertz regime of the gravitational wave spectrum, a domain soon to be unlocked by space missions. With a special emphasis on the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, our workshop also broadens its scope to include other milli-Hertz missions and aims to explore synergies with the next generation of ground-based gravitational wave detectors.
Valeriya Korol, Natalia Korsakova, Lucio Mayer, Martina Toscani, Niels Warburton

The milli-Hertz regime is unique due to the variety of gravitational wave sources emitting at these frequencies, including binaries of stellar remnants such as white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes within our own Galaxy, as well as inspiraling compact objects onto massive black holes (aka Extreme/Intermediate Mass Ratio Inspirals, E/IMRI) and mergers between nascent massive black holes (MBH) at cosmic dawn. This regime is also unique in terms of waveform modelling, data analysis and data interpretation, presenting challenges that call for a community-driven approach.

Our workshop will bring together leading experts and early career scientists in the field of theoretical modelling (from astrophysics to numerical relativity), electromagnetic observations, and gravitational wave data analysis, aiming to prepare the community for the new kind of gravitational wave data and to enable groundbreaking astrophysics in the milli-Hertz regime. The format will balance scientific talks, interactive tutorials, and open discussions, creating an ideal environment for initiating new collaborations and consolidating ongoing projects. More broadly, we strive to foster a community where interdisciplinary and creative collaborations can flourish.

Week 1 (30th June – 4th July): Astrophysical Modelling and Uncertainties

  • Review and assess state-of-the-art astrophysical models.
  • Identify gaps and uncertainties in mHz GW source modelling.

Key topics to be discussed include:

  • Robustness of stellar binary modelling against assumptions on stability of mass transfer, accretion onto compact objects, common envelopes, and tides.
  • Predicting MBH binaries/EMRI/IMRI event rates and their key waveform properties.
  • Existence and distribution of intermediate-mass black holes.
  • Synergies with upcoming electromagnetic surveys.

Week 2 (7th – 11th July): Waveform Modelling Challenges

  • Outline a road-map for addressing challenges in waveform modelling before 2030s.
  • Access the required waveform accuracy for the mHz data analysis.

Key questions to be discussed include:

  • Integrating post-Newtonian and numerical relativity simulations to provide predictions for waveforms under realistic orbital configuration of the mHz GW sources.
  • Explore the possibility of extending black hole perturbation theory for IMRIs.
  • Including environmental effects in GW waveforms.
  • Advances and applicability of emerging methods based on effective field theory and amplitude scattering techniques.

Week 3 (14th – 18th July): Data Analysis and Parameter Estimation

  • Discuss data analysis complexities; in particular challenges of the “global fit” approach.
  • Focus on precise source parameter estimation and accurate source subtraction to facilitate the analysis of stochastic backgrounds.

Key questions to be discussed include:

  • Utilising electromagnetic observations of Galactic binaries for instrument noise estimation.
  • Identify waveforms that effectively capture the diversity and complexity of astrophysical populations for each source type while optimising computational efficiency.
  • Formulate astrophysically motivated priors for the global fit analysis.
  • Discuss strategies for extracting astrophysical sources from GW data to analyse stochastic signals.

Week 4 (21st – 25th July): Data Interpretation via Astrophysical Models

  • Build upon insights from previous weeks’ discussions to explore the scientific interpretation of mHz GW data using astrophysical models.
  • Develop astrophysics-focused mock data challenges to prepare the community for future data interpretation.

Key questions to be discussed include:

  • Re-discovering our Galaxy using mHz GW detections.
  • Understanding MBH formation through GW detections.
  • Leveraging GW event rates to study physical processes in galactic nuclei.
  • Identifying promising electromagnetic counterparts for mHz GW sources

Please find here full details.

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ESA gives go-ahead for flagship gravitational-wave observatory in space

Following today´s Adoption, the LISA mission advances to the construction phase

LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, has passed a major review with flying colours: the entire concept - from the definition of the overall mission and operations to the space hardware to be built - stood up to the intense scrutiny of ESA´s reviewers. Now the space agency´s Science Programme Committee (SPC) has confirmed that LISA is sufficiently mature and that mission development can proceed as planned. LISA should go into orbit in the mid 2030s.

“With the Adoption decision, LISA is now firmly established in ESA’s programme of missions. We are looking forward to realising LISA in a close collaboration of ESA, NASA, ESA member states and the wider LISA Consortium” says Karsten Danzmann, Lead of the LISA Consortium, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics and Leibniz University Hannover. 

“This trailblazing mission will take us to the next level in a really exciting area of space science and keep European scientists at the forefront of gravitational wave research,” says ESA Director of Science Carole Mundell.

Mission Adoption Review and Mission Adoption
LISA´s successful Mission Adoption Review and the adoption by ESA´s Science Programme Committee on January 25th was the formal end of the study phase. LISA will now transition into the implementation phase where the next key milestones are the selection of an industrial prime contractor, the Preliminary Design Review, and the Critical Design Review. 

During the study phase the LISA team focused on developing the requirements for the mission and on developing key technologies to appropriate Technology Readiness Levels. All mission partners and contractors agreed to a set of key interfaces and performance requirements, which will be used as the basis for contracts during the implementation stage. ESA and its mission partners also defined their future cooperation by establishing the necessary international agreements, covering items such as hardware provisions, responsibilities for the scientific outputs of the mission, and data.

LISA’s science to explore an invisible universe
LISA will detect gravitational radiation in the yet unexplored window between 0.1 mHz and 1 Hz, waves that cannot be detected by ground-based detectors. Waves in this frequency range are created in the collision and merger of two massive black holes, a million or more times heavier than our Sun, lurking at the centres of distant, still forming galaxies. LISA will be sensitive to these mergers across the Universe’s history, directly probing the yet unknown origin and growth of massive black holes. Unique to LISA is the detection of gravitational waves from stellar black holes swirling around massive ones in galactic nuclei, to probe the geometry of spacetime and test gravity in its foundations. LISA will also detect a large number of binary and multiple compact objects in our Milky Way galaxy to tell us about stellar binary evolution, and “see” the Galaxy beyond the Galactic Centre, including many objects invisible to all other astronomical instruments. 

In short, using only gravity for signals, LISA will complement our knowledge about the beginning, evolution and structure of our Universe. In addition, studying gravitational waves has enormous potential for discovering those parts of the Universe that are not yet observed such as the gravitational repercussions from the Big Bang, the ripples of spacetime emerging from perturbations of the primaeval plasma, and other, as yet unknown, objects. Working in conjunction with other astronomical methods and gravitational-wave observatories on Earth, LISA scientists will contribute to the next big discoveries to answer questions such as “What are the fundamental laws of the Universe?” and “How did the Universe originate and what is it made of?” 

The LISA instrument is a first of its kind space borne gravitational wave observatory. It will consist of three spacecraft in a triangular configuration with 2.5-million-kilometre arms, moving in an Earth-like orbit around the Sun. Gravitational waves from sources throughout the Universe will produce slight oscillations in the arm lengths (smaller than the diameter of an atom). LISA will capture these motions and thus measure the gravitational waves by using laser links to monitor the displacements of test masses free-falling inside the spacecraft. The LISA satellites and their scientific payload are being built by ESA, ESA member nations, and NASA.

Hardware was already successfully tested
LISA’s underlying measurement technology was successfully demonstrated in space with ESA’s LISA Pathfinder (LPF) mission in which NASA participated. LPF demonstrated that it’s possible to place test masses in free-fall to an astonishing level and that the exquisite metrology needed for LISA meets the requirements.

The LISA Consortium is a large international collaboration that combines the resources and expertise from scientists in many countries all over the world. Together with ESA, its member states, and NASA, the LISA Consortium is working to bring the LISA Mission to fruition.  

Further information
https://lisamission.org/
https://www.esa.int/Newsroom/Press_Releases/
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Capturing_the_ripples_of_spacetime_LISA_gets_go-ahead
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/LISA_factsheet
https://lisa.nasa.gov/

Science contact
Prof. Dr. Karsten Danzmann
Phone: +49 511 762-2356
karsten.danzmann@aei.mpg.de

Media contact
Susanne Milde
Phone: +49 0172 3931349
milde@mildemarketing.de

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COSMO’24, October 21-24 at Kyoto University

COSMO'24 will bring together a wide range of cosmologists and particle physicists to discuss current ideas on particle physics and cosmology.
Conference Website

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27th Capra Meeting on Radiation Reaction in General Relativity, June 17-21 2024, Singapore

The 27th Capra Meeting will be hosted at the National University of Singapore from the 17th-21st of June 2024, more details to follow.

The Capra meeting is an annual workshop on the topic of radiation reaction in general relativity. The primary focus of these workshops is the development of the gravitational self-force approach to model extreme mass ratio inspirals and further our understanding of the two-body problem in general relativity. This is done in synergy with other well known modeling techniques such as post-Newtonian theory and numerical relativity. The canonical example of an extreme mass-ratio Inspiral (EMRI) is the inspiral of a stellar-mass compact object into a supermassive black hole. Gravitational waves from these systems are a promising target for the future space-based detector LISA, which is currently scheduled to launch in the mid-2030’s by the European Space Agency with support from NASA. The study of radiation reaction and  self-force is not limited to EMRIs, and a range of topics and applications to other areas of gravitational physics have been discussed at past Capra meetings; an example is the scattering of massive particles, which is currently an active area of research. The format of the meeting is an amalgamation of a daily invited review talk, short contributed talks and organized discussion sessions. The tradition of the Capra meetings is that there is no registration fee for participating.

At the Capra meetings we provide equal opportunities regardless of gender, age, race, disability, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, civil status, or family status.  We encourage all those with an interest in research on self-force and extreme mass-ratio inspirals to register for this meeting and apply to contribute a talk by submitting an abstract. Past and current attendees should encourage a broad spectrum of their colleagues to apply.

Meeting Website