Compact binaries on eccentric orbits are another class of sources for gravitational wave (GW) detectors that can provide a wealth of information on binaries’ formation pathways and astrophysical environments. However, historically, eccentricity in template waveforms is often ignored in modelled search analyses for compact binaries, which assumes templates for non-precessing quasi-circular...
We develop a modular and user-friendly python code based on the Fisher information matrix formalism to perform population analysis of gravitational- wave events and to make population-level predictions for third-generation detectors. This project is based on the work of [Gair et al (2021) MNRAS 519 2736] who derived a Fisher Matrix formalism to estimate the hyperparameters that characterize a...
Gravitational waves (GWs) provide a unique opportunity to test general relativity (GR) in the highly dynamical strong-field regime. So far, the majority of the tests of GR with GW signals have been carried out following parametrized, theory-independent approaches. An alternative avenue consists in the development of inspiral-merger-ringdown (IMR) waveform models in specific beyond-GR theories...
Gravitational wave models have in recent years expanded beyond circularized compact binary systems to cover a larger and larger swath of the parameter space. Models incorporating the spin-precession effect, which occurs when the components' spins are misaligned with the orbital angular momentum, in the quasi-circular case are now routinely used for parameter estimation; meanwhile, several...
Despite eight years since the initial detection of gravitational waves from stellar-mass compact-object binaries, the astrophysical origin of these phenomena remains elusive. Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in a novel gravitational wave formation pathway: the active galactic nuclei (AGN) channel. I will describe the key features of the AGN channel, discuss our ongoing efforts in...
Binary-black-hole (BBH) mergers can take place close to a supermassive black hole (SMBH)
while being in a bound orbit around the SMBH. In this paper, we study such bound triple systems
and show that including the strong gravity effects of describing the SMBH with a Kerr metric
can significantly modify the dynamics, as compared to a Newtonian point particle description of the
SMBH. We...
