A gravitational wave detector in the US, a future space-based observatory, and a network of optical telescopes in the UK are working together to catch the flashes of light that follow violent cosmic collisions. Gravitational wave astronomy began in earnest in 2015, but most detected signals come from black hole mergers that produce no light. The rare collisions involving neutron stars—like the 2017 event seen across the entire electromagnetic spectrum—are far more informative. This fellowship tackles the technical barriers that prevent us from finding more of them. On Earth, the LIGO detectors suffer from noise that can distort or mask signals; the team will build automated tools to flag when noise corrupts a detection. For LISA, a space-based detector due for launch in 2035, the challenge is separating overlapping signals from merging black holes of different masses—a problem that will only grow as the mission’s sensitivity changes over time. This is fundamental science. It will not produce a new battery or medical device. But every major advance in astronomy—from radio telescopes to X-ray satellites—has reshaped how we understand the universe. Cleaner gravitational wave data and better optical follow-up will tell us how often neutron stars collide, what they are made of, and how heavy elements like gold and platinum are forged.
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This fellowship investigates different areas of gravitational-wave (GW) astronomy, from improving the GW detector noise, to detection and the observation of an optical counterpart (should there be one). This will be done using three facilities, LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory), LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) and GOTO (Gravitational wave Optical Transient Observatory). LIGO and LISA are both GW detectors. LIGO consists of two detectors in the USA which are sensitive to GWs from 10 Hz to the kHz region. LISA is a future space-based detector, due for launch in 2035. LISA is sensitive to GWs from 0.1 to 100 mHz. GOTO on the other hand is an Earth-based optical telescope. GWs are emitted whenever an asymmetric object accelerates, with the strongest sources of detectable GWs being from the collision of neutron stars and black holes. GW astronomy truly began in 2015 when LIGO observed the GW signature of two stellar-mass black holes colliding for the first time. Since then a total of 90 GW signals have been observed, with the majority of these from the collisions of stellar-mass black holes, with a few neutron star-black holes and binary neutron star mergers. These latter types of signals are particularly exciting, as colliding neutron stars and/or black holes are also expected to produce an electromagnetic signal. Indeed, in 2017 a binary neutron star merger was not only observed in the GW window, but also across the electromagnetic spectrum. The LIGO detectors are currently half way through their fourth observing run, with over 200 candidate GW events already observed. In this fellowship, we will investigate how the changing nature of LIGO sensitivity affects our ability to accurately measure the properties of GW signals. We will develop automated techniques to identify when a GW signal is adversely affected by a form of noise so that further investigations can take place. We will also investigate the role biases in the GW waveform model and in the estimation of the detector noise play in biasing GW parameter estimation. For LISA, it is imperative that we explore how to maximise the astrophysical potential of the future mission. In this fellowship, we will investigate how the expected changing nature of the LISA sensitivity will limit our ability to separate overlapping GW signals from merging black holes. We will investigate the effects of data gaps and glitches on the detection of GWs from a range of black hole masses, from intermediate to supermassive. In GOTO, we have developed Kilonova Seekers, an innovative, real-time astrophysics public engagement project (hosted through the Zooniverse) which uploads new data every 15 minutes. When the GW detectors are operating the focus of GOTO is to capture an optical counterpart or kilonova in response to a GW event. However, during a large portion of this fellowship the GW detectors will be offline for upgrades. We will therefore switch the focus of the project to find other interesting transients that GOTO will observe. We will continue to expand our engagement with the public and encourage participation in real scientific discoveries made by GOTO. Finally, we will work with experts from the Tactile Universe to expand their GW resources to include our research; this will engage members of the visual impaired community with GWs.
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