Faculty

Multimessenger Astrophysics

Dark Universe

The Early Universe

Gravitational waves and strong gravity

The discovery of gravitational waves has opened new exciting opportunities for fundamental physics. One of the most intriguing aspects of this new “window in the universe” is the possibility to study in unprecedented detail the environment around black holes, and a team of GRAPPA researchers has recently shown that these observations can set extraordinarily stringent constraints on the mysterious dark matter that appears to permeate the universe at all scales. In this project we will explore the interplay between gravitational waves, black holes and dark matter. We will focus in particular on the possibility to probe the fundamental nature of dark matter by looking at how it clusters around black holes, and on its subtle impact on the gravitational waveform produced in the merger of black hole binaries. The project will involve both analytical and numerical work, and will be conducted under supervision of G. Bertone, and in collaboration with other GRAPPA staff and postdocs.

Gianfranco Bertone

Research Areas

Masters Thesis Projects