Gravitational waves

Author(s): Benjamin Leather, Alessandra Buonanno, and Maarten van de MeentSelf-force theory, while initially adapted for the extreme mass-ratio case of the gravitational two-body problem, has in fact applications in wider contexts. Here, the approach is incorporated into effective one-body theory to develop a waveform model for the entire non-spinning binary coalescence process: inspiral, plunge, merger, and ringdown. Where the approaches can be compared, the model is found to be highly competitive in relation to existing waveform models and numerical relativity. [Phys. Rev. D 112, 044012] Published Thu Aug 07, 2025

A team of scientists has proposed a groundbreaking new theory on the Universe's origins, offering a fresh, radical take on the Big Bang's early moments. Unlike the widely accepted inflationary model, which involves speculative assumptions, the new model starts with the established concept of De Sitter space, aligning with dark energy observations. The scientists believe gravitational waves—ripples in space-time—were the key to seeding the formation of galaxies and cosmic structure, eliminating the need for unknown elements.

Less than a decade since the first detection of gravitational waves—ripples in spacetime itself—proposed budget cuts threaten to silence this groundbreaking science

After 10 years of gravitational-wave research, the LIGO Lab team at MIT is getting ready for the next generation of detectors.

Merger creates black holes weighing 240 times the mass of our Sun.

A new method to analyze gravitational-wave data could transform how we study some of the universe's most extreme events—black holes smashing into each other.

The largest black hole merger ever observed has resulted in a new black hole about 225 times the mass of our Sun. The collision was detected using the LIGO gravitational wave observatories. Gravitational waves were first detected at the US Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2015. These waves, first postulated by Einstein in his […]

Gravitational-wave detectors have captured their biggest spectacle yet: two gargantuan, rapidly spinning black holes likely forged by earlier smash-ups fused into a 225-solar-mass titan, GW231123. The record-setting blast strains both the sensitivity of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA and the boundaries of stellar-evolution theory, forcing scientists to rethink how such cosmic heavyweights arise.

Gravitational wave detectors have "heard" the ripples in space caused by the most massive black hole merger yet. One "forbidden" by current theoretical models.

A puzzling gravitational wave was detected, and astronomers have determined that it comes from a record-breaking black hole merger

The LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration has detected the merger of the most massive black holes ever observed with gravitational waves using the LIGO observatories. The powerful merger produced a final black hole approximately 225 times the mass of our sun. The signal, designated GW231123, was detected during the fourth observing run of the LVK network on November 23, 2023.

When Einstein's predicted ripples in spacetime pass through magnetic fields, they cause the current carrying wires to dance at the gravitational wave frequency, creating potentially detectable electrical signals. Researchers have discovered that the same powerful magnets used to hunt for dark matter could double as gravitational wave detectors. This means experiments already searching for the universe's most elusive particles could simultaneously capture collisions between black holes and neutron stars, getting two of physics' most ambitious experiments for the price of one, while potentially opening entirely new windows into the universe's most violent events.

Gravitational waves come in all shapes and sizes - and frequencies. But, so far, we haven’t been able to capture any of the higher frequency ones. That’s unfortunate, as they might hold the key to unlocking our understanding of some really interesting physical phenomena, such as Boson clouds and tiny block hole mergers. A new paper from researchers at Notre Dame and Caltech, led by PhD student Christopher Jungkind, explores how we might use one of the world’s most prolific gravitational wave observatories, GEO600, to capture signals from those phenomena for the first time.

When black holes need a place to crash, they prefer a nice, bright quasar.

New research published in Physical Review Letters suggests that superconducting magnets used in dark matter detection experiments could function as highly precise gravitational wave detectors, thereby establishing an entirely new frequency band for observing these cosmic ripples.

New mathematical technique is inspired by particle physics The post Black-hole scattering calculations could shed light on gravitational waves appeared first on Physics World.

In a new Physical Review Letters study, researchers have successfully followed a gravitational wave's complete journey from the infinite past to the infinite future as it encounters a black hole.

In 2015, a piece of equipment at an observatory in the US moved one quintillionth (10-18) of a meter. This tiny movement was the first recorded event of gravitational waves. And it helped confirm Einstein's theory of general relativity.

You couldn’t get much more different than the dry, warm subtropical climate of Eswatini than the cold, wet southern island of New Zealand. But that didn’t bother Sebenele (Sebe) Thwala who left her home continent for New Zealand to peer into the farthest reaches of the cosmos. And her work as a second-year PhD scholarship student […]

A new study achieves unprecedented accuracy in modelling extreme cosmic events like black hole and neutron star collisions by calculating the fifth post-Minkowskian (5PM) order, crucial for interpreting gravitational wave data from current and future observatories. The research reveals the surprising appearance of Calabi-Yau three-fold periods -- complex geometric structures from string theory and algebraic geometry -- within calculations of radiated energy and recoil, suggesting a deep connection between abstract mathematics and astrophysical phenomena. Utilizing over 300,000 core hours of high-performance computing, an international team demonstrated the power of advanced computational methods in solving complex equations governing black hole interactions, paving the way for more accurate gravitational wave templates and insights into galaxy formation.

A study published in Nature has established a new benchmark in modeling the universe's most extreme events: the collisions of black holes and neutron stars. This research, led by Professor Jan Plefka at Humboldt University of Berlin and Queen Mary University London's Dr. Gustav Mogull, formerly at Humboldt Universität and the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), and conducted in collaboration with an international team of physicists, provides unprecedented precision in calculations crucial to understanding gravitational waves.

University of Colorado Boulder astrophysicist Jeremy Darling is pursuing a new way of measuring the universe's gravitational wave background—the constant flow of waves that churn through the cosmos, warping the very fabric of space and time.

There is a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, and it's not alone. There is also likely a forest of binary black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs. All of these emit gravitational waves as they gradually spiral ever closer together. These gravitational waves are too faint for us to detect at the moment, but future observatories will be able to observe them. This poses an interesting astronomical challenge.

There is a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, and it's not alone. There is also likely a forest of binary black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs. All of these emit gravitational waves as they gradually spiral ever closer together. These gravitational waves are too faint for us to detect at the moment, but future observatories will be able to observe them. This poses an interesting astronomical challenge.

Astronomy has entered the age of gravitational waves. While there are plenty of differences between gravitational wave astronomy and typical waves of the electromagnetic spectrum, they share one similar feature: frequency. While we have detectors for a wide range of electromagnetic frequencies, gravitational wave detectors only focus on a narrow band of relatively low-frequency signals. That will change with the upgrade of the GEO600 gravitational wave detector located at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics.

Artificial intelligence could offer a powerful pathway to supercharge our ability to "hear" the universe, according to new research.

Author(s): Jörg Frauendiener, Chris Stevens, and Sebenele ThwalaFor the first time, a gravitational wave impinging onto a static black hole has been numerically simulated by including nonlinearity and with a computational domain from past to future null-infinity. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 161401] Published Wed Apr 23, 2025

A study published in Physical Review Letters outlines a new approach for extracting information from binary systems by looking at the entire posterior distribution instead of making decisions based on individual parameters.

Extreme cosmic events such as colliding black holes or the explosions of stars can cause ripples in spacetime, so-called gravitational waves. Their discovery opened a new window into the universe. To observe them, ultra-precise detectors are required, but designing them remains a major scientific challenge for humans.

Author(s): Davide Gerosa, Viola De Renzis, Federica Tettoni, Matthew Mould, Alberto Vecchio, and Costantino PacilioA semisupervised machine-learning approach based on constrained clustering could improve black-hole spin measurements from gravitational waves by 50%, and correct data features like multimodalities and nongaussianities. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 121402] Published Fri Mar 28, 2025

There are three known types of black holes: supermassive black holes that lurk in the hearts of galaxies, stellar mass black holes formed from stars that die as supernovae, and intermediate mass black holes with masses between the two extremes. It's generally thought that the intermediate ones form from the mergers of stellar mass black holes. If that is true, there should be a forbidden range between stellar and intermediate masses. A range where the mass is too large to have formed from a star but too small to be the sum of mergers. But a new study of data from LIGO suggests that there are black holes in that forbidden range.

From 2035, the Einstein Telescope will be able to study gravitational waves with unprecedented accuracy. For the telescope, researchers from Jena have manufactured highly sensitive sensors made entirely of glass for the first time.

Binary neutron star mergers emit gravitational waves followed by light. To fully exploit these observations and avoid missing key signals, speed is crucial. An interdisciplinary team of researchers presents a novel machine learning method that can analyze gravitational waves emitted by neutron star collisions almost instantaneously -- even before the merger is fully observed. A neural network processes the data and enables a fast search for visible light and other electromagnetic signals emitted during the collisions. This new method could be instrumental in preparing the field for the next generation of observatories.

It now takes just a fraction of a minute to detect neutron star mergers, thanks to advancements in a machine-learning-driven approach to astronomy.

Binary neutron star mergers occur millions of light-years away from Earth. Interpreting the gravitational waves they produce presents a major challenge for traditional data-analysis methods. These signals correspond to minutes of data from current detectors and potentially hours to days of data from future observatories. Analyzing such massive data sets is computationally expensive and time-consuming.

French photonics firm wins contract to deliver source for Laser Interferometer Space Antenna's ground station.

Galaxies, planets, black holes: to most people, everything about our Universe sounds and feels enormous. But while it’s true that much of what happens millions of light years away is large, there are also processes happening at the quantum end of the scale. That’s the branch of science which explains how nature works at very […]

In a paper published earlier this month in Physical Review Letters, a team of physicists led by Jonathan Richardson of the University of California, Riverside, showcases how new optical technology can extend the detection range of gravitational-wave observatories such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, and pave the way for future observatories.

When massive stars reach the end of their life cycle, they undergo gravitational collapse and shed their outer layers in a massive explosion (a supernova). Whereas particularly massive stars will leave a black hole in their wake, others leave behind a stellar remnant known as a neutron star (or white dwarf). These objects concentrate a … Continue reading "To Probe the Interior of Neutron Stars, We Must Study the Gravitational Waves from their Collisions" The post To Probe the Interior of Neutron Stars, We Must Study the Gravitational Waves from their Collisions appeared first on Universe Today.

Scientists have discovered that gravitational waves could turn neutron stars into cosmic tuning forks with characteristic reverberations that reveal their interiors.

LISA is set to revolutionize our understanding of the gravitational universe and the interactions that make the entire cosmos turn.

The Tetrahedron Constellation Gravitational Wave Observatory would consist of four satellites positioned in space The post Researchers in China propose novel gravitational-wave observatory appeared first on Physics World.

Researchers have demonstrated a new, unsupervised machine learning approach to find new patterns in the auxiliary channel data of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory.

Finding patterns and reducing noise in large, complex datasets generated by the gravitational wave-detecting LIGO facility just got easier, thanks to the work of scientists at the University of California, Riverside.

When astronomers detected the first long-predicted gravitational waves in 2015, it opened a whole new window into the universe. Before that, astronomy depended on observations of light in all its wavelengths.

Gravitational waves offer a 'cosmic DNA test' for black holes

When astronomers detected the first long-predicted gravitational waves in 2015, it opened a whole new window into the Universe. Before that, astronomy depended on observations of light in all its wavelengths. We also use light to communicate, mostly radio waves. Could we use gravitational waves to communicate? The idea is intriguing, though beyond our capabilities … Continue reading "Communicating with Gravitational Waves" The post Communicating with Gravitational Waves appeared first on Universe Today.

Author(s): Matteo Tagliazucchi, Matteo Braglia, Fabio Finelli, and Mauro PieroniOne of the favored explanations for the recently observed stochastic gravitational wave background by NANOGrav’s Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) measurements are primordial fluctuations sourcing gravitational waves. These fluctuations also cause small-scale spectral distortions in the CMB. The authors show how these can be measured in future experiments like PIXIE and constrain the scalar-induced interpretation of the PTA data. It will also distinguish it from alternative explanations of the NANOGrav signal like black holes, etc., that do not predict any significant spectral distortion. [Phys. Rev. D 111, L021305] Published Thu Jan 23, 2025

The size and spin of black holes can reveal how and where they were born, and gravitational waves offer a way to decode this information like a cosmic DNA test.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are mysterious pulses of energy that can last from a fraction of a millisecond to about three seconds. Most of them come from outside the galaxy, although one has been detected coming from a source inside the Milky Way. Some of them also repeat, which only adds to their mystery.

The traditional theory of black hole formation seems to struggle to explain how black holes can merge into larger more massive black holes yet they have been seen with LIGO. It’s possible that they may have formed at the beginning of time and if so, then they may be a worthy candidate to explain dark … Continue reading "LIGO Has Detected Unusual Black Holes Merging, But they Probably Don’t Explain Dark Matter" The post LIGO Has Detected Unusual Black Holes Merging, But they Probably Don’t Explain Dark Matter appeared first on Universe Today.

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are mysterious pulses of energy that can last from a fraction of a millisecond to about three seconds. Most of them come from outside the galaxy, although one has been detected coming from a source inside the Milky Way. Some of them also repeat, which only adds to their mystery. Though … Continue reading "Gravitational Waves Could Give Us Insights into Fast Radio Bursts" The post Gravitational Waves Could Give Us Insights into Fast Radio Bursts appeared first on Universe Today.

In February 2016, scientists working for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) made history by announcing the first-ever detection of gravitational waves (GW). These waves, predicted by Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, are created when massive objects collide (neutron stars or black holes), causing ripples in spacetime that can be detected millions or billions of … Continue reading "LIGO Fails to Find Continuous Gravitational Waves From Pulsars" The post LIGO Fails to Find Continuous Gravitational Waves From Pulsars appeared first on Universe Today.

Black hole quantum effects are usually thought to be too small to have any observable signatures. This is indeed the case for heavy black holes, such as the ones detected via gravitational waves by LIGO in 2015. These black holes have mass of a few tens of solar mass and, consequently, their Hawking radiation is negligible.

The size and spin of black holes can reveal important information about how and where they formed, according to new research.

Theoretically a neutron star could have less mass than a white dwarf. If these light neutron stars exist, we might detect them through the gravitational waves they emit during a cataclysmic merger with another star. The post Neutron Stars With Less Mass Than A White Dwarf Might Exist, and LIGO and Virgo Could Find Them appeared first on Universe Today.

A new effort to map the rumblings in spacetime caused by enormous black hole collisions paints a surprisingly loud and lopsided picture of the universe.

Almost 300 binary mergers have been detected so far, indicated by their passing gravitational waves. These measurements from the world's gravitational wave observatories put constraints on the masses and spins of the merging objects such as black holes and neutron stars, and in turn this information is being used to better understand the evolution of massive stars.

Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity, has passed all tests with predictions that are spot-on. One prediction that remains is "gravitational wave memory"—the prediction that a passing gravitational wave will permanently change the distance between cosmic objects.

A map of the universe in gravitational waves could reveal "hidden" black holes, supermassive black hole collisions, and the large-scale structure of the cosmos.

The universe is a turbulent place. Stars are exploding, neutron stars collide, and supermassive black holes are merging. All of these things and many more create gravitational waves. As a result, the cosmos is filled with a rippling sea of gravitational vibrations.

Author(s): Colter J. Richardson, Haakon Andresen, Anthony Mezzacappa, Michele Zanolin, Michael G. Benjamin, Pedro Marronetti, Eric J. Lentz, and Marek J. SzczepańczykScientists have devised a way to use current gravitational-wave detectors to observe permanent deformations of spacetime caused by certain supernovae. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 231401] Published Thu Dec 05, 2024

Researchers have shown that optical spring tracking is a promising way to improve the signal clarity of gravitational-wave detectors. The advance could one day allow scientists to see farther into the universe and provide more information about how black holes and neutron stars behave as they merge.

Astronomers are collecting evidence for the gravitational wave background of the Universe, caused by merging supermassive black holes. Now, the MeerKAT radio telescope has confirmed the discovery first made by the NANOGrav experiment, but in a third of the time. For the last five years, MeerKAT has monitored dozens of millisecond pulsars once a week, detecting subtle changes in their radio emissions as gravitational waves flow by. The post MeerKAT Confirms the Gravitational Wave Background of the Universe in Record Time appeared first on Universe Today.

An international study led by astronomers from Swinburne University of Technology has created the most detailed maps of gravitational waves across the universe to date.

Late arrival of dark matter would leave subtle imprint on space–time The post Delayed Big Bang for dark matter could be detected in gravitational waves appeared first on Physics World.

NASA has revealed the first look at a full-scale prototype for six telescopes that will enable, in the next decade, the space-based detection of gravitational waves.

The telescopes will be used to send and receive infrared laser beams between the three satellites in space The post First look at prototype telescope for the LISA gravitational-wave mission appeared first on Physics World.

NASA has revealed the first look at a full-scale prototype for six telescopes that will enable, in the next decade, the space-based detection of gravitational waves—ripples in space-time caused by merging black holes and other cosmic sources.

A recent study in Physical Review Letters explores the effects of ultralight dark matter in extreme-mass-ratio inspirals (EMRIs), which could be detected by future space-based gravitational wave detectors like LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna).

Cosmology has had several ground-breaking discoveries over the last 100+ years since Einstein developed his theory of relativity. Two of the most prominent were the discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) in 1968 and the confirmation of gravitational waves in 2015. Each utilized different tools, but both lent credence to the Big Bang Theory, … Continue reading "How Gravitational Waves Could Let Us See the First Moments After the Big Bang" The post How Gravitational Waves Could Let Us See the First Moments After the Big Bang appeared first on Universe Today.

A team of researchers at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), in the U.S., has developed what they describe as a squeezed light system to improve detection sensitivity.

This week Professor Matthew Bailes won the Prime Minister’s 2024 Prize for Science for his ground-breaking work on gravitational waves and fast radio bursts. Two years ago Bailes talked to our reporter Graem Sims, explaining his excitement about the growing understanding about the value of radio waves. A lot of undergraduate physics is taught using […]

A computer simulation suggests that some collisions between exotic, hypothetical stars would make space-time ripple with detectable waves

Astronomy has always relied on light to convey information about the universe. But capturing photons — such as

Scientists have developed a new way of searching for elusive dark matter, which makes up 85% of all

The team added new limits to how dark matter could interact with the LIGO detector, boosting hopes for future runs.

A new study published in Physical Review Letters (PRL) proposes using gravitational wave detectors like LIGO to search for scalar field dark matter.

Nearly imperceptible quantum flickers used to limit how precisely we could detect the way space-time ripples, but squeezing the laser light used in detectors overcomes this and doubles the number of gravitational waves we can see

In February 2016, scientists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) confirmed they made the first-ever detection of gravitational waves (GWs). These events occur when massive objects like neutron stars and black holes merge, sending ripples through spacetime that can be detected millions (and even billions) of light-years away.

In February 2016, scientists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) confirmed they made the first-ever detection of gravitational waves (GWs). These events occur when massive objects like neutron stars and black holes merge, sending ripples through spacetime that can be detected millions (and even billions) of light-years away. Since the first event, more than … Continue reading "Future Gravitational Wave Observatories Could See the Earliest Black Hole Mergers in the Universe" The post Future Gravitational Wave Observatories Could See the Earliest Black Hole Mergers in the Universe appeared first on Universe Today.

The current generation of gravitational wave detectors could "hear" supernovas over 65 million light-years away, helping scientists determine if a dying star creates a black hole or a neutron star.

Scientists at the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have proposed an innovative method to realize gravitational wave detection by utilizing Mössbauer resonance. Their findings, recently published in Science Bulletin, highlight a new approach that could revolutionize the study of gravitational waves.

A better understanding of the inner workings of neutron stars will lead to a greater knowledge of the dynamics that underpin the workings of the universe and also could help drive future technology, said the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign physics professor Nicolas Yunes. A new study led by Yunes details how new insights into how dissipative tidal forces within double—or binary—neutron star systems will inform our understanding of the universe.

A better understanding of the inner workings of neutron stars will lead to a greater knowledge of the dynamics that underpin the workings of the universe and also could help drive future technology. A new study details how new insights into how dissipative tidal forces within double -- or binary -- neutron star systems will inform our understanding of the universe.

How much do we really know about what else is out there in the universe?

Author(s): Michael SchirberAn analysis of gravitational data from the LIGO detector sets new limits on a wave-like form of dark matter called scalar-field dark matter. [Physics 17, s101] Published Wed Sep 04, 2024

Author(s): Alexandre S. Göttel, Aldo Ejlli, Kanioar Karan, Sander M. Vermeulen, Lorenzo Aiello, Vivien Raymond, and Hartmut GroteAn analysis of gravitational data from the LIGO detector sets new limits on a wave-like form of dark matter called scalar field dark matter. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 101001] Published Wed Sep 04, 2024

Cosmologists have long hypothesized that the conditions of the early universe could have caused the formation of black holes not long after the Big Bang. These "primordial black holes" have a much wider mass range than those that formed in the later universe from the death of stars, with some even condensed to the width of a single atom.

Cosmologists have long hypothesized that the conditions of the early universe could have caused the formation of black holes not long after the Big Bang. These ‘primordial black holes’ have a much wider mass range than those that formed in the later universe from the death of stars, with some even condensed to the width … Continue reading "Gravitational Wave Observatories Could Detect Primordial Black Holes Speeding Through the Solar System" The post Gravitational Wave Observatories Could Detect Primordial Black Holes Speeding Through the Solar System appeared first on Universe Today.

The merging of black holes and neutron stars are among the most energetic events in the universe. Not only do they emit colossal amounts of energy, they can also be detected through gravitational waves. Observatories like LIGO/Virgo (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory) and KAGRA (The Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector) have detected their gravitational waves but … Continue reading "For Their Next Trick, Gravitational Wave Observatories Could Detect Collapsing Stars" The post For Their Next Trick, Gravitational Wave Observatories Could Detect Collapsing Stars appeared first on Universe Today.

Scientists might be on track to revealing new facets of physics.

A new study has determined that the death of massive, spinning stars could send gravitational waves through the universe which can be detected on Earth. The violent deaths of rapidly rotating stars 15–20 times the mass of the Sun is an event called a collapsar. When the star has used up all the fuel in […]

The death of a massive, rapidly spinning star can shake the universe. And the resulting ripples—known as gravitational waves—could be felt by instruments on Earth, according to new research published August 22 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. These new sources of gravitational waves just await discovery, the scientists behind the research predict.

The ripples in space-time caused by the death of massive spinning stars could be within the limits of detection of projects like LIGO and Virgo, new simulations by Flatiron Institute astrophysicists suggest.

If the gravitational wave background detected last year came from a "supercool" phase transition around the time of the Big Bang, they hint at new physics.