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Mathematical Methods for the General Relativistic Two-body Problem August 11-15 2025, Singapore

LIGO’s discovery of gravitational waves in 2015 has led to a new era in astronomy. By the mid-2030s, we will be able to observe astrophysical gravitational-wave sources across multiple frequency bands, which will greatly advance our understanding of the physical Universe. Asymmetric binary systems will be a main source of gravitational waves, particularly in the multi-band era. The best way to model them is to expand Einstein’s field equations about the small mass ratio of the system. This use of perturbation theory in the relativistic two-body problem has been advanced in modern times by independent groups in different ways, which can make it difficult for the various approaches to be compared for consistency. Asymmetric binaries also bring about unique mathematical challenges in the statistical analysis of their gravitational-wave signals in detector data, as well as their broader characterisation in the active astrophysical environments where they typically form.

This week-long IMS workshop provides a chance for researchers from relevant communities to work together on solving the remaining challenges in the modelling and interpretation of gravitational waves from asymmetric binary systems. The workshop will be structured along three main themes: theory, computation, and science. Each theme will be addressed through a combination of invited talks and discussion sessions. The first of the invited talks in each theme will be a keynote talk that reviews the history and current status of research under that theme. Each subsequent talk will target a key challenge under each theme, and will be delivered by a leading expert on that specific topic. The discussion sessions will then expand upon the various topics covered by the invited talks, and will be chaired by relevant experts who will initiate and guide discourse among all the attendees of the workshop.

Organizing Committee

Co-chairs

Alvin Chua (National University of Singapore )
Soichiro Isoyama (National University of Singapore )
Josh Mathews (National University of Singapore )

Scientific Committee

Leor Barack (University of Southampton, UK)
Jonathan Gair (Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Germany)
Scott Hughes (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
Takahiro Tanaka (Kyoto University, Japan)

Workshop Website

Nonlinear Black Hole Perturbation Theory: Merging Black Holes, Communities and Ideas, September 15-17 2025 at University of Nottingham

Black hole perturbation theory has been a key driver of theoretical gravity research since the 1960s, illuminating aspects of quantum gravity, information theory, gravitational-wave science, and the fundamental nature of black holes. It has played a particularly important role in two areas: self-force theory, used to model asymmetric binaries such as extreme-mass-ratio inspirals; and ringdown studies of dynamical black holes, such as occurs after a black hole merger.

Historically, almost all work in these areas has focused on linear perturbations. However, motivated by the needs of precision gravitational-wave astronomy, nonlinear black hole perturbation theory has recently emerged as the new frontier of the field. This advent of high-precision modelling offers exciting prospects for linking the self-force and ringdown communities.

This workshop will bring together prominent experts and leading young scientists from the two communities to share methods, spark new collaborations, and investigate new ideas in black hole physics.

Due to limited space, registration will be moderated. Preference will be given to participants who wish to also attend the 2nd Annual Workshop on Self-Force and Amplitudes, which will be held 9-12 September 2025 at the University of Southampton.

Invited speakers

Marina De Amicis
Devin Becker
Swetha Bhagwat
Patrick Bourg
Vitor Cardoso
Gregorio Carullo
Marc Casals
Stefan Hollands
Neev Khera
Sizheng Ma
Lorenzo Kuchler
Benjamin Leather
Lorena Magana Zertuche
Zach Nasipak
Rodrigo Panosso Macedo
Christiana Pantelidou
Ariadna Ribes
Andrew Spiers
Samuel Upton

Workshop Website

1st UNDARK workshop: astrophysical searches of dark sectors with radiowave observations, September 29 – October 3 2025, La Laguna, Tenerife

The 1st UNDARK workshop which will be held in Tenerife during the week Sept 29 - Oct 2rd 2025. This workshop will focus on astrophysical probes of fundamental questions related to the dark universe, with a specific emphasis on radio wave observations, as well as their possible connections with gravitational wave detection. The meeting is organized in the context of the UNDARK project and it aligns with the observational and instrumental expertise of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) in microwave astronomy. 

This workshop aims to bring together leading researchers in radio astronomy, cosmology, astrophysics, and particle physics to discuss recent advancements, ongoing projects, and future directions in the search for the dark sector of the universe.

Registration, with the possibility of abstract submission, will be open on April 27. There will be no registration fee, and participation will be limited to a selected number of participants.

Workshop Website

Making Neutron Stars a Laboratory for New Physics, June 9-13, 2025 at CERN

This one-week TH-Institute (June 9-13, 2025) aims to bring together leading experts in nuclear physics, astrophysics, and particle physics to address the key questions surrounding the equation of state (EOS) of neutron star (NS) matter and its impact on multi messenger astronomy and new physics searches.

The EOS of neutron stars is crucial to understanding several astrophysical phenomena, from supernova explosions and neutrino emissions to gravitational wave signals from NS mergers. By examining the EOS and its interplay with standard model (SM) and beyond-standard model (BSM) physics, this event seeks to address questions like: What are the uncertainties in EOS modeling, and how can they be minimized to yield robust predictions? How do different EOSs affect GW signals and NS cooling mechanisms? How much different EOS impact constraints on new motivated particles, such as the QCD axion? What role does QCD EOS play in the formation of primordial black holes, and how can observations of NS mergers constrain new physics?

The TH-Institute will thus cover a range of topics, including:

Theoretical modeling of the EOS of NS matter and its observational implications
Neutrino emissions from young and old neutron stars, and their role in SN explosions
Gravitational wave signals from NS mergers and their sensitivity to the EOS
New physics searches in astrophysical environments, with a focus on axions, neutrinos, and gravitational waves

Registration: We welcome everyone interested in these topics to join us in-person or online. In-person participation will be moderated. Upon in-person registration confirmation we recommend arranging accomodation as soon as possible. The accomodation tab gives further information. Deadline for registration is April 30.

Workshop Website

12th LISA CosWG Workshop, June 2-6, 2025 in Tallinn

The 12th LISA Cosmology Working Group Workshop will take place in Tallinn on June 2-6, 2025.

The workshop's objective is to convene the LISA Cosmology Working Group community to examine recent advancements in cosmology pertinent to LISA. Its purpose is to kickstart collaborative projects and tackle unresolved issues in LISA cosmology.

The topics of discussion include:

  • Predictions for SGWBs from the early universe
  • Detection of stochastic backgrounds and foregrounds
  • Characterization of isotropic and anisotropic SGWB components
  • Standard sirens and cosmological tests of the late universe
  • Cosmological probes of general relativity and non-standard paradigms
  • Primordial black holes and dark matter
  • Gravitational-wave lensing
  • Structure formation

About half of the workshop will be devoted to CosWG collaborative projects.

The workshop is restricted to LISA CosWG members. Non-members interested in participating must write to membership(at)lisamission.org (with chairscoswg(at)gmail.com in cc).

This workshop is supported by the Estonian Research Council grant RVTT7.

Please beware of fake e-mails attempting to offer you to book accommodation. The only reliable communications are those that come directly from the organisers.

Workshop Website

Gravitational Wave Probes of Physics Beyond Standard Model 4, June 23-27, 2025 at University of Warsaw

The purpose of this workshop is to discuss how gravitational waves may serve as tools to explore possible fundamental physics beyond the Standard Model, such as first-order phase transitions in the early Universe, cosmic strings, primordial black holes and scenarios for cosmological inflation. In addition, it will explore how gravitational wave signals may reveal possible modifications of general relativity. With these aims in mind, the workshop will bring together experts in particle physics, cosmology and the gravitational wave community.

Confirmed speakers:

  • Lara Sousa (Porto U) [cosmic defects]
  • Fabrizio Rompineve (UA Barcelona) [cosmic defects]
  • Alberto Roper Pol (U Geneva) [phase transition]
  • Oliver Gould (Nottingham U) [phase transition]
  • David Mateos (ICREA and U Barcelona) [phase transition]
  • Simone Blasi (DESY) [phase transition]
  • Nicola Bartolo (U Padua) [inflation]
  • Marek Szczepańczyk (U Warsaw) [astrophysics]
  • Alexander Jenkins (Cambridge U) [phase transition]
  • Christoph Ringeval (CP3, Louvain) [cosmic defects]

Workshop Website

10th Physics and Astrophysics at the eXtreme Workshop and 3rd Cosmic Explorer Symposium in Urbana, Illinois on June 30 – July 3, 2025

The 10th Physics and Astrophysics at the eXtreme (PAX) Workshop and the 3rd Cosmic Explorer Symposium are events sponsored by the Physics Department of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and taking place in Urbana, Illinois on June 30 – July 3, 2025 at the Beckman Institute Auditorium (Room 1025) and Room 1005.

The meeting aims to explore how gravitational and electromagnetic wave observations can help us understand extreme physics, including strong gravitational fields, dark matter, nuclear physics, cosmology, and multimessenger astrophysics. The Cosmic Explorer Symposium will bring together the community to discuss important aspects of the design and operations of the Cosmic Explorer gravitational-wave observatories, covering both observational and instrument science. Together, PAX-X and the Cosmic Explorer Symposium will explore the science opportunities that come with the next-generation gravitational-wave detectors.

Workshop Website

2025 GW Open Data Workshop, May 12-14

Open Data Workshops provide participants with a hands-on introduction to working with data from LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA. The workshops include lectures, software tutorials, and a data challenge that asks participants to find binary black hole merger signals in real observatory data.

This year’s workshop will use a hybrid format, where participants may join virtually through the online course or may join an in-person Study Hub. Participants are also encouraged to start their own Study Hubs if one in their area is not available. Workshop registration is free and enrollment is now open. We are also looking for mentors to update the tutorials and host Study Hubs – please contact Jonah Kanner if you are interested in helping.

Workshop details and enrollment are now available at https://learn.gwosc.org/

2025 North American Einstein Toolkit Workshop, June, 9-13 at University of Texas at Austin

The 2025 edition of the North American Einstein Toolkit Workshop will be held at the University of Texas at Austin. This is an opportunity for researchers and students to learn about the Einstein Toolkit (https://einsteintoolkit.org/), a community-driven software platform of core computational tools to advance and support research in relativistic astrophysics and gravitational physics.

The workshop will offer a mixture of talks and tutorials. The tutorials provide an opportunity for new users to become familiar with the Einstein Toolkit cyberinfrastructure. The talks are aimed at highlighting exciting science using the tools of numerical relativity, in particular, the Einstein Toolkit. At the end of the workshop, there will be a broad discussion on future directions of the Einstein Toolkit.

Workshop Website

Cosmic Explorer Symposium and Physics and Astrophysics at the eXtreme workshop (PAX-X) at UIUC from 30 June – 3 July 2025

The 10th Physics and Astrophysics at the eXtreme workshop (PAX X) and the 3rd Cosmic Explorer Symposium will be held jointly at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from 30 June – 3 July 2025.

The Cosmic Explorer Symposium will bring together the community to discuss important aspects of the design and operations of the Cosmic Explorer gravitational-wave observatories, covering both observational and instrument science.
The PAX-X workshop will explore how the ongoing and upcoming observations of gravitational and electromagnetic waves can help us understand physics at the extreme — strong gravitational fields, dark matter, nuclear physics, cosmology, and multimessenger astrophysics.

Panels will be organized around a small number of presentations to identify important areas for research and foster discussions and community feedback.

Registration will open shortly.

LOC: Hector O. Silva, Mateus Reinke Pelicer, Antonios Tsokaros, Helvi Witek,

SOC (confirmed members so far): Stefan Ballmer, Lisa Barsotti, Emanuele Berti, Alessandra Corsi, Paul Fulda, Anuradha Gupta, Jan Harms, Joey Key, Lionel London, David Ottaway, Bangalore Sathyaprakash, Hector O. Silva, Antonios Tsokaros, Helvi Witek