Outlook for gravitational wave astronomy towards the 2040s
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Abstract
Gravitational-wave astronomy will undergo a transformation in the 2030s as space-based observatories open access to the millihertz frequency regime. The European Space Agency's flagship Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), planned for launch in 2035, together with a growing landscape of mission concepts beyond 2040, will enable studies of astrophysical and cosmological phenomena that are not directly accessible by electromagnetic means. In this talk, I will outline multi-messenger opportunities with the LISA mission. I will show that LISA sources are long-lived, allowing electromagnetic observatories to monitor them as their signals strengthen and their properties are determined with increasing precision. I will discuss two key cases identified for the ESO Expanding Horizons call. First, electromagnetic counterparts to massive black hole mergers (arXiv:2512.21359) will provide unique insight into their astrophysical environments and the behaviour of magnetised plasmas in dynamical strong-field spacetimes. Second, electromagnetic characterisation of millihertz gravitational-wave sources in the Milky Way (arXiv:2512.12075)—dominated by compact stellar-remnant binaries—will be crucial for interpreting their population properties, testing Type Ia supernova progenitor channels, and leveraging them as tracers of Galactic structure and evolution.
Authors 7
-
Space Research Organisation Netherlands
Affiliation as printed
SRON Space Research Organisation Netherlands
Cited by 0 stored of 0
No patents citing this paper on Lens.org (checked 2026-10-11).