Abstract:

Gravitational physics is entering a new era driven by observation that will begin once gravitational-wave interferometers make their first detections.  In the universe, gravitational waves are produced during violent events such as the merger of two black holes. The detection of these waves, sometimes called ripples in the fabric of spacetime, is a formidable undertaking, requiring innovative engineering, powerful data analysis tools and careful theoretical modeling.  High performance computing plays a vital role in our ability to predict and interpret gravitational waves with theoretical modeling of the sources.  I will provide an overview of the high performance and data analysis challenges we face in making the first and subsequent detection of gravitational waves.