Gravitational waves are far field wave-like solutions of Einstein’s equations of general relativity. The significant sources of gravitational waves are coherent, non-spherically-symmetric motions of large mass objects, and could include binary systems of compact objects such as neutron stars and black holes, supernova explosions, the progenitors of gamma ray bursts, and the big bang. Gravitational waves have been detected indirectly by observing spin-up of binary pulsars. Direct detection is important because studies of gravitational waves give us a window on physics in strong gravitational fields and, for some sources, a very precise measurement of the distances of high redshift objects, and therefore information about the equation of state parameter w as a function of redshift z.

I am currently involved in the GEO600 experiment searching for gravitational waves at frequencies between 50Hz and 8kHz using a laser interferometer near Hannover in Germany. I am a member of the LIGO scientific collaboration. My research focuses on data characterization and analysis methods, line removal, and searches for unmodelled gravitational wave bursts.

Here is a link to my public domain resources for data analysis.

Here are copies of the transparencies for a talk given on behalf of the LIGO scientific collaboration and the Virgo collaboration at the LOFAR transients workshop in Amsterdam, December 2008. The transparencies are available pdf format here.

Here are copies of transparencies from my recent notes at the IUSS summer school. Lecture 1 on gravitational waves is here. Lecture 2 on black holes is here.