Astrophysical modelling of gravitational-wave sources

Gravitational-wave observations of black hole and neutron star binaries offer a unique window into the properties of compact objects, as well as their formation pathways and evolutionary histories.

They provide an invaluable tool for advancing our understanding of astrophysics across a wide range of environments and timescales, in collaboration with other researchers in the Cardiff Hub for Astrophysics Research and Technology (CHART).

Using high-performance computing simulations and analytic theory, we explore the formation and evolution of compact binaries. By comparing the predictions of our astrophysical models of binary formation to gravitational wave data, we constrain the origin of the sources, shed light on massive star evolution, the natal kicks of compact objects, the unknown properties of infant clusters, and ultimately unveil the processes that govern the formation and evolution of stars and clusters across cosmic time.