Project Grant 2606673

The National Science Foundation Division of Astronomical Sciences awarded Pennsylvania State University $396,086 on September 1, 2026, under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) for collaborative research into compact binary formation using gravitational wave observations.

Penn State collaborates with Johns Hopkins University to analyze data from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA gravitational wave detector network. The team will measure masses, spins, precession, and correlations in merging compact binaries to clarify astrophysical formation pathways for black hole and neutron star mergers, combining observational data with state-of-the-art models of isolated and dynamical formation channels. The research also exploits well-localized "golden" and "silver" gravitational wave events to measure the Hubble constant and probe dark matter through neutron-star tidal physics.

The project includes extensive outreach in Baltimore, Maryland, and central Pennsylvania, delivering K–12 lectures and demonstrations on black holes and neutron stars, annual two-week summer camps at Penn State with public LIGO data analysis, and teacher-training activities at Johns Hopkins.

Performance occurs in State College, Pennsylvania, through August 31, 2029.