Abstract:  Since their first discovery in 2015, gravitational-wave and multi-messenger observations yielded several surprises. The LIGO and Virgo observatories detected more and heavier black holes than anticipated; multi-messenger emission from neutron star merger GW170817 showed structured high-energy outflow; and last month, LIGO announced the discovery of a black hole too heavy to have likely formed during stellar core collapse, which also came with a possible electromagnetic counterpart. In the next five years, LIGO's expected detection rate is set to increase twentyfold, to roughly one event every hour, promising many more surprises. I will discuss several of the new interesting directions in gravitational-wave and multi-messenger observations that began only recently and promise to substantially enrich the field in the next five years.

Host:  Stephanie Wissel

Astro Colloquium and 'coffee & cookies' Department gathering (3:30-4:00pm)

https://psu.zoom.us/j/94153970341