Although gravitational waves were first predicted by Einstein more than a century ago, their existence was confirmed only in the last decade, on 14 September 2015, when the LIGO detectors in Livingston and Hanford (US) observed the signal from the merger of two black holes, each around thirty times the mass of the Sun. This landmark discovery opened the field of gravitational wave astronomy, enabling entirely new ways of probing the origins of the universe and the most extreme astrophysical objects, such as black holes and neutron stars. Gravitational wave research at KBFI began around the same time as this discovery, in 2015.
Our group focuses primarily on theoretical, phenomenological, and data analysis aspects of gravitational wave physics. We also contribute to international experimental efforts, including the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, which will probe gravitational waves at millihertz frequencies, and the development of atom-interferometer–based detectors through the Terrestrial Very Long Baseline Atom Interferometers (TVLBAI) protocollaboration, which aims to open new detection windows. In addition, we collaborate closely with scientists in the Einstein Telescope (ET), the European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA), and the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA (LVK) collaborations. Through these efforts, we aim to bridge theory and experiment, advancing our understanding of both the early universe and the astrophysical population of compact objects.
Gravitational wave research at KBFI is supported by ETAG research grants, including the Center of Excellence TK202, for which gravitational waves are one of the central themes. The gravitational wave working group within TK202 is headed by Hardi Veermäe.
Our research covers both cosmological and astrophysical sources of gravitational radiation. On the cosmology side, we explore gravitational wave signatures from early-universe phenomena such as cosmic phase transitions, inflation, and the formation of primordial black holes. On the astrophysics side, we investigate the dynamics and origins of supermassive black holes, as well as the interplay between gravitational wave observations by pulsar timing arrays and electromagnetic observations, for example, with the James Webb Space Telescope.
Some specific gravitational wave-related research topics at KBFI include:
