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Scattering Amplitudes for Gravitational Wave Theory

Project description

New theoretical approaches for understanding gravitational waves

The observation of gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger in 2016 marked the beginning of an exciting new era for astronomy. More findings about black holes and neutron stars are expected to be revealed in the future. To make use of the new observations, theoretical physicists will need to develop more accurate numerical methods and better mathematical descriptions of gravitational signals. The EU-funded Ampl2Einstein project will build on advances in quantum scattering amplitudes that are used to calculate collisions of elementary particles. Furthermore, use of the Yang–Mills theory will play a key role in making this route simpler than direct classical calculations. The project's advances will allow astronomers to detect weaker gravitational signals and resolve long-standing puzzles regarding the internal structure of neutron stars.

Objective

Four years ago, the LIGO/Virgo observation of a black-hole binary merger
heralded the dawn of gravitational-wave astronomy. The promise of future
observations calls for an invigorated effort to underpin the theoretical
framework and supply the predictions needed for detecting future signals and
exploiting them for astronomical and astrophysical studies. Ampl2Einstein
will take ideas and techniques from recent years' dramatic advances in Quantum
Scattering Amplitudes, creating new tools for taking their classical limits
and using it for gravitational physics. The powerful `square root' relation
between gravity and a generalization of electrodynamics known as Yang--Mills
theory will play a key role in making this route simpler than direct classical
calculation. We will transfer these ideas to classical General Relativity to
compute new perturbative orders, spin-dependent observables, and the
dependence on the internal structure of merging objects. We will exploit
symmetries and structure we find in order to extrapolate to even higher orders
in the gravitational theory. We will make such calculations vastly simpler,
pushing the known frontier much further in perturbation theory and in
complexity of observables. These advances will give rise to a new generation
of gravitational-wave templates, dramatically extending the observing power of
detectors. They will allow observers to see weaker signals and will be key to
resolving long-standing puzzles about the internal structure of neutron stars.
We will apply novel technologies developed for scattering amplitudes to
bound-state calculations in both quantum and classical theory. Our research
will also lead to a deeper understanding of the classical limit of quantum
field theory, relevant to gravitational-wave observations and beyond. The
transfer of ideas to the new domain of General Relativity will dramatically
enhance our ability to reveal new physics encoded in the subtlest of
gravitational-wave signals.

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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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.

ERC-ADG - Advanced Grant

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2019-ADG

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Host institution

COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
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.

€ 2 297 571,25
Address
RUE LEBLANC 25
75015 Paris
France

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Region
Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris
Activity type
Research Organisations
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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.

€ 2 297 571,25

Beneficiaries (2)

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