WoU-MMA: Deep Multimessenger Search for Joint Sources of Gravitational-Waves and High-Energy Neutrinos

As a result of novel enabling technologies, gravitational waves and high-energy neutrinos are detectable far beyond our galactic neighborhood. Their intertwined signature from a common cosmic source may reach our corner of the Universe at any instant. The insight gained even from a single joint elusive cosmic source is expected to be profound. Additionally, multimessenger science -- through its complexity -- provides a remarkable synergy with frontier technologies built to uncover previously elusive cosmic messengers and to learn about statistical concepts that are useful for everyone in everyday life but often elude the education system. The PI's group will train students in STEM disciplines, as well as reach out to general audiences through public presentations.For every discovery of a loud gravitational-wave signal, there are numerous weak fingerprints called subthreshold candidates, not sufficiently loud to claim a detection, and they are intertwined with a complex plethora of detector noise transients. The Columbia Experimental Gravity Group will conduct in-depth analyses using these subthreshold candidates in the multimessenger context, will facilitate the electromagnetic follow-up observations of joint gravitational-wave – neutrino candidates by providing confined localization, and advance astrophysics in general by uncovering or establishing a limit on their population.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.