Schematic representation of two black holes inspiraling, including a Feynman diagram, displayed against a cosmic starfield.

More precise than ever before
A magnifying glass focused on two black holes emitting gravitational waves.

Do black holes pretend to have large masses?
Photo of three men in formal clothing standing in front of a dark brick wall with a golden picture, stairs leading up to the left.

Karsten Danzmann receives the 20th Ehrenring Garbsen
Artistic representation of a future underground observatory with long, illuminated tunnels and complex measurement technology. Laser beams forming a large triangle can be seen beneath the earth's surface. Two merging black holes appear in the sky, emitting gravitational waves that spread out in circles.

More than 4 million euros for the development of the Einstein Telescope
Three satellites form a huge interferometric measuring system with laser beams, while gravitational waves emanate from a distant galactic source and propagate through the solar system.

The AEI plays a leading role in the development of LISA’s key instruments
A man is sitting on a red sofa.

Vinzenz Aubry will become Artist-in-Residence

Welcome to the Albert Einstein Institute!

The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) is the largest research institute in the world specializing in general relativity and beyond. The institute is located in Potsdam and in Hannover where it closely collaborates with the Leibniz Universität Hannover.

Seminars, Colloquia & Events

Seminars & colloquia

Seminars & colloquia

The AEI Hannover together with Leibniz University Hannover offers a colloquium, an institute seminar, and a student seminar.

Departments

Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity

The department develops accurate analytical and numerical models of gravitational-wave sources, and uses them to analyse data, improving our ability to extract unique astrophysical and cosmological information from the observed signals, and testing Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

Computational Relativistic Astrophysics

Research in this department covers mergers of binary neutron stars and mixed binaries – a black hole and a neutron star – as well as stellar core collapse that form black holes. The department also focuses on studying more fundamental aspects of General Relativity using numerical tools.

Laser Interferometry and Gravitational Wave Astronomy

This department's research focus is on the development and operation of gravitational-wave detectors on Earth. This comprises also a full range of supporting laboratory experiments in quantum optics and laser physics.

Observational Relativity and Cosmology

This department focuses on direct observational consequences of general relativity. This includes the search for and analysis of gravitational-wave signals in data from laser interferometers and pulsar timing arrays, and the operation of the Einstein@Home project, looking for weak radio, gamma-ray and gravitational-wave signals from spinning neutron stars.

Precision Interferometry and Fundamental Interactions

This department’s research encompasses precision interferometry instrumentation for ground-based and space-based gravitational-wave observatories and laser-optical searches for fundamental interactions beyond the standard model.

Quantum Gravity and Unified Theories

This department attends to the development of a theory that unifies quantum theory and general relativity – in the framework of superstring theory as well as canonical quantization.
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Independent Research Groups

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Selected Research Highlights
Diagram showing on the horizontal axis “Qubits in Quantum Volume” and “Relative Duration of Ref. Mean” on the vertical axis. The diagram has two graphs, one in orange labeled “Heuristic”, staying flat at a a value of 100% for all qubit values, and on in green labeled “RLIonS (ours)” monotonically dropping from 83% to 64% for increasing qubit values.

Machine learning optimizes trapped-ion quantum computing

Reinforcement learning beats state-of-the-art techniques for ion shuttling

The illustration shows how gravitational waves are partially reflected by the Earth and the Moon.

Prisms and mirrors for gravitational waves

Modified gravity could allow matter to disperse, or even reflect, gravitational waves

Simulation of microlensing signals.

Listening to the stars beneath the waves

A new reduced-order model makes the complex diffraction of gravitational waves by stellar fields accessible to data…

Two black dots (black holes) are surrounded by wave-like structures (gravitational waves) in orange (top) and blue (bottom).

Calculating black hole scattering for any mass ratio

State-of-the-art predictions can now be used to create waveform models for next-generation gravitational-wave detectors.

This graph shows the results for SBI and the calibrated and uncalibrated universal relations when applied to a single neutron star.

A new way to study neutron stars using simulations and universal patterns

Simulation-based inference helps to deal with the uncertainty about neutron star matter.

Graphs showing ellipticity as a function of rotational frequency.

Probing three supernova remnants with Einstein@Home

The volunteer distributed computing project enables a close look at central compact objects in Cassiopeia A, Vela Jr…

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Career

Job Offers

The Center of Gravity: Exchange of researchers working on gravitational physics

September 28, 2026
Deadline: 30 November 2026

Postdoctoral Positions in Gravitational-Wave Science

September 25, 2026
Deadline: 23 November 2026 (open until all positions are filled)

Postdoctoral positions in the Computational Relativistic Astrophysics division at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam

September 03, 2026
Deadline: 13 December 2026

Postdoctoral researcher investigating suspension platform interferometers for the Einstein Telescope

August 18, 2026
Deadline: 11 October 2026

Scientific Project Coordinator and Researcher

June 05, 2026
Deadline: 30 June 2026 (open until the position is filled)

Equal Opportunity & Diversity

Talent, creativity and passion – those are the qualities the Max Planck Society and our institute in particular rely on. Our mission is to create a welcoming environment and support employees of all backgrounds, regardless of their gender, nationality, religion, disability, age, sexual identity, socioeconomic status or cultural background. As a STEM institution, we particularly aim to attract female scientists to work at our Institute and to strengthen their visibility in the scientific community.

The Charta der Vielfalt

The AEI signed the “Charta der Vielfalt” diversity charter in February 2022, in order to express its commitment to diversity and equality of opportunity.  

Research School

The Institute offers PhD trainings in the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Gravity at the Extreme.
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