Welcome to the home page for the Gravitational Waves research group at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Einstein’s theory of General Relativity predicted the existence of waves rippling across the Universe and distorting the fabric of spacetime, and these were finally detected for the first time in 2015 by the LIGO observatories. Since then, interest in these waves has grown at a break-neck speed, and as current detectors are upgraded and future detectors gain traction, the field continues to retain prominence at the edge of research in modern physics.
We are a LIGO-affiliated group based in Hong Kong working in various areas related to gravitational waves, compact objects, and the theory of General Relativity. Our research focuses especially on data analysis of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA interferometer observations, as well as fundamental theoretical research and simulations.
Who we are
Following the successful first detection of gravitational waves from a binary merger by LIGO in 2015, CUHK became the first Hong Kong university to gain institutional membership of LIGO in 2016. The group was founded by Prof. Tjonnie Li, a member of LIGO since 2009 and part of the first detection that launched an entirely new field of observational physics into existence.
The group is now led by Prof. Otto Hannuksela and has grown considerably over the years. In addition to Prof Hannuksela, the group comprises 1 post-doctoral researcher, a dozen graduate students, undergraduate final-year students, and a number of summer interns.
Research interests
Some of our more prominent research interests are listed here. For a more complete description of our research and publications, please find them here.
Gravitational-wave lensing
Test of General Relativity and modified gravity
Numerical Relativity
Affiliations & Useful Links
Our group is a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, and you can find out more about the broader LIGO community here. You can also find out more about the LIGO experiment and interferometers, as well as an introduction to what gravitational waves are.
The third Gravitational Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-3) is available to the public, spanning all confirmed gravitational wave events from 2015 to 2020. You can find the open data here. The website also contains tutorials and guides on how to explore and analyze the data yourself.