Research

LISA

LISA is a space mission designed to measure gravitational radiation over a broad band at low frequencies, from about 0.1 to 100 millihertz, a band where the Universe is richly populated in strong sources of gravitational waves. It comprises three identical spacecraft whose positions mark the vertices of an equilateral triangle five million km on a side orbiting around the Sun. The measurement principle of LISA is based on optical interferometry. LISA will detect signals from a wide range of different sources: massive black holes merging in galaxies at all distances; massive black holes consuming smaller compact objects; known binary compact stars and stellar remnants; members of known populations of more distant binaries; and probably other sources, possibly including relics of the extremely early Big Bang. Here at AEI we model gravitational wave signals, design data analysis algorithms and study stellar dynamics in center of galaxies.

LIGO/GEO600/Virgo

Three gravitational wave projects have detectors online: LIGO, GEO and Virgo. At AEI, we study and develop data analysis methods to extract the gravitational wave signals from the data produced by these gravitational wave detectors. We do this in the context of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC), which comprises hundreds of scientists whose mission is to exploit the full scietific potential of the LIGO and GEO gravitational wave data now available. A data sharing agreement exists which also allows us to access Virgo data and perform joint searches with Virgo. The data analysis group at AEI Golm is lead by M.A. Papa who is the Data Analysis Coordinator for the LSC. Different analysis techniques are required, based in the signal that one wants to detect.

Source Modeling

Modeling the sources of gravitational waves through numerical simulations and astrophysical observations.