Gravitational-Wave Astronomy: Exploring the Dark Side of the Universe

This book provides an introduction to gravitational-wave astronomy and a survey of the physics required to understand recent breakthrough discoveries and the potential of future experiments. The material is aimed at advanced undergraduates or postgraduate students. It works as an introduction to the relevant issues and brings the reader to the level where it connects with current research. The book provides interested astronomers with an understanding of this new window to the Universe, including a relatively self-contained summary of Einstein's geometric theory of gravity. It introduces gravitational-wave data analysts to the range of physics issues that impact on the modelling of different sources. The material also connects with fundamental physics, which is natural since gravitational-wave signals from neutron stars may help constrain our understanding of matter at extreme densities, helping nuclear and particle physicists appreciate how their models fit into the bigger picture.