News & Events
Lorenzo Mirasola (UIB)
Event Details
McDonald Institute Seminar Series
Location: Queen's: STI 501 / YouTube
Date: August 27, 2026
Time: 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Continuous gravitational waves: looking for a tiny signal in a sea of noise
Abstract:
Since their first detection more than a decade ago, gravitational waves (GWs) have opened a new path towards our understanding of the Universe. However, a complementary and still undetected class of signals, the continuous gravitational waves (CWs), could provide unique insights into ultra-dense matter, the neutron star equation of state, and beyond-Standard-Model physics. These signals are long-lasting, quasi-monochromatic emissions expected from rapidly rotating, non-axisymmetric neutron stars and from more exotic systems, such as spinning black holes surrounded by ultralight boson clouds. Their expected amplitudes are extremely faint, requiring highly sensitive and robust data analysis methods that integrate signal power over long observation times.
After a very brief introduction to GW detection, I will introduce the main astrophysical sources of CWs, discuss the search methodologies developed to detect these elusive signals, and conclude with an overview of the current observational results and prospects.
The McDonald Institute seminar will be held in Stirling 501 and streamed live to the McDonald Institute YouTube channel.
A Zoom link is also available and shared via email by the organizers. Please reach out to admin@mcdonaldinstitute.ca for access.