Physics Colloquium: Probing the Energetic Universe: A Multi-Messenger View of Cosmic Collisions
Physics Colloquium
Probing the Energetic Universe: A Multi-Messenger View of Cosmic Collisions
Dr. Manuela Campanelli and Dr. Richard O’Shaughnessy
Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation
Rochester Institute of Technology
Event Details:
This talk will present a comprehensive overview of our research in gravitational-wave astrophysics, which operates at the dual-frontier of theory and observation. We will begin by discussing how we use powerful supercomputers and numerical relativity to simulate the most extreme events in the cosmos, such as the mergers of black holes and neutron stars. A key part of this work involves General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD), which is crucial for modeling the magnetized matter that gives rise to the accompanying electromagnetic signals. These simulations provide the foundational theoretical waveforms that we then use in our gravitational-wave astronomy efforts. Our research uses advanced data analysis and parameter estimation to compare these waveforms to the detected signals, allowing us to accurately infer the physical properties of any individual source, such as the masses and spins of the merging objects, and thereby to construct and interpret a gravitational wave census of the universe. Finally, we will discuss how our work is preparing for the next generation of gravitational wave detectors, like the LISA, the Einstein Telescope and the Cosmic Explorer, whose tenfold increase in sensitivity will allow us to probe a vast population of cosmic sources, from black holes across cosmic time to the exotic interiors of neutron stars.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Manuela Campanelli is the distinguished professor of astrophysics and John Vouros endowed professor at RIT. She is also the founding director of the Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation (CCRG). She is known for her renowned work on the astrophysics of black holes, neutron stars and gravitational waves. Her 2005's breakthrough work on the first successful numerical simulations of binary black hole mergers was recently highlighted by the APS as one of the landmarks of the century on the subject of general relativity. In 2007, she became known for her discovery that after black holes merge to form a new, larger black hole, the newly formed black hole can recoil fast enough to eject a supermassive black hole from even the largest galaxies. She is the recipient of the 2024 Richard Isaacson Award in Gravitational-Wave Science by the American Physical Society.
Richard O'Shaughnessy is an associate professor at RIT, joining the faculty in 2014 as a member of the Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation. He earned his PhD in physics at Caltech, with postdoctoral work at Northwestern, Penn State, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His work is on theoretical gravitational wave astrophysics, developing methods to discover and interpret the ripples in the fabric of the universe produced by merging compact binaries: black holes and neutron stars.
Intended Audience:
All are Welcome!
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