Fundamental physics from populations of compact object mergers

In the next decade, a deluge of data from gravitational wave observatories will yield a sample of hundreds or thousands of mergers involving black holes and neutron stars.

Some of these cataclysmic collisions will produce electromagnetic signals that will be detected by specialised optical surveys scanning the sky.

This combined multi-messenger data has the potential to reveal unknown secrets of fundamental physics of the Universe, and properties of matter under extreme conditions.

However, cleanly extracting these physical insights requires solving major data analysis challenges related to the volume and complexity of the coming data.We propose to develop the methodology that would allow the robust extraction of key physical signals from the coming multi-messenger data.

We will capitalize on our internationally-recognised work in this area, bringing together complementary expertise at the interface of astronomical data analysis, statistics (particularly Bayesian inference) and Big Data science.

The project will build strong international links and ensure high visibility for Swedish multi-messenger research with the Rubin Observatory, one of the key astronomical facilities of the 2020s.