Developments in gravitational wave searches for binary systems

Gravitational waves are predicted by the general theory of relativity. Binary systems consisting of neutron stars and black holes generate these tiny ripples in space-time, which are expected to be directly measured by large-scale interferometric detectors. Not only the measurement method, but also the data analysis is paramount for the first discoveries, since only sensitive and efficient methods can filter the weak signals from the detector noise. Scientists at the MPI for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) have helped to bring the first discoveries closer to reality.