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Fundamental physics in the era of gravitational-wave astronomy

Objective

The first gravitational wave (GW) detections by the Laser Interferometric Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) are an historical landmark. These detections opened a completely new window to the Universe and officially marked the beginning of GW astronomy.

GWs travel almost unimpeded through the Universe, thus conveying clean information about their sources. This gives us a unique opportunity to test the nonlinear regime of Einstein’s theory of general relativity (GR) to unprecedented levels. Indeed, the GWs detected so far were emitted by the merger of binary black holes (BHs) which are the prototypical sources to investigate gravity in its most extreme regimes.

However, the true potential of GW observatories to discover new physics beyond of current knowledge is far from being fully explored. In fact, besides probing the nature of compact objects and testing GR, GW detectors may also revolutionize our understanding of particle physics, dark matter (DM) and even possibly quantum gravity. At small scales, with the advent of precision GW physics we will be probing regions closer to the BH horizon, potentially ruling out or confirming alternatives to BHs that predict corrections at the horizon scale. On the opposite side of the spectrum, GWs may also give us hints about the nature of large scale anomalies, such as the existence of DM. For example, light bosonic fields around compact objects, i.e. BHs and neutron stars (NSs), can trigger superradiant instabilities and emit long-lived monochromatic GWs that can be used to either probe the existence of new particles beyond the Standard Model or, in the absence of detections, impose strong constraints on their masses and couplings.

The prime goal of this proposal is to understand what GWs can tell us about fundamental questions such as the nature of compact objects and DM and ultimately to contribute to the recent theoretical efforts in developing the full scientific potential of the newborn field of GW astronomy.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2017

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 168 277,20
Address
Piazzale Aldo Moro 5
00185 Roma
Italy

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Region
Centro (IT) Lazio Roma
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 168 277,20
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