Probing the host environments of compact binaries

Aditya Vijaykumar (University of Toronto)

May 02, 2024

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Abstract: When, where, and how compact binaries form is still a mystery, and observations from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA detectors are starting to shed light on this. In this talk, I will discuss ways of probing host environments of these binaries. First, I will show how the redshift evolution of the binary black hole merger rate can be used to constrain the parameter space of the host galaxies of such mergers. Then, time permitting, I will discuss how a nonzero centre of mass acceleration affects the observed signal in our detectors, and how one can differentiate between candidate host environments by measurements of acceleration. I will end with some prospects for the future.