News and Events

News and Events in 2026

Numerical simulation of a binary black hole merger.
Public lecture by Alessandra Buonanno 

Location: McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Date: April 9, 2026
Time: 6:00pm Central Time more
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.
Change at a defining moment for gravitational-wave science more
Artist’s impression of an eccentric neutron star–black hole binary.
Breakthrough discovery provides new clues about how these celestial bodies find each other. more
Simulated gravitational wave events in a grid, colored in shades of blue and green, with logos at the bottom.
The latest catalog, GWTC-4, includes 128 new candidates from the fourth observing run, more than doubling the previous total. more
Abstract 3D visualization featuring colorful wave-like structures and a central gray sphere on a black backdrop.
An international team, with key contributions from AEI researchers, identified three gravitational-wave tones in GW250114 for the first time and conducted the most stringent tests of general relativity. more
Orange sailboats scattered across a blue and white striped, wavy pattern.
Location: Institute for Fundamental Physics of the Universe, Trieste, Italy
Date: January 19-23, 2026 more

News and Events in 2025

A man wearing a burgundy sweater is standing in a modern office hallway.
Miguel Zumalacárregui receives a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council. more
An abstract composition with curved lines and geometric shapes, including spirals and circles, set against a gradient blue background.
Location: Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Potsdam Science Park
Date: December 09-12, 2025 more
Graphical display of cumulative detections across all four observing runs.
Further exciting results anticipated from O4’s remaining parts more
Individual wearing a blue patterned shirt, standing in a glass-walled office environment.
Lorenzo Speri has been awarded the GWIC-Braccini Thesis Prize. more
Illustration of two black holes, one smaller than the other. Each is surrounded by a glowing accretion disk. The disks are tilted relative to each other.
Latest gravitational-wave discoveries from fourth observing run provide new insights into black hole formation as well as particle physics more
Visual representation of galaxy distribution, with multiple galaxies and three distinct outlined regions, axes for declination and right ascension labeled.
A study published in Physical Review X by AEI researchers reveals how even the most advanced waveform models can introduce systematic errors when used to measure key properties of black holes. more
Red spiral design with text: "In Pursuit of Gravitational Waves" and "Solving the Two-Body Problem in General Relativity," illustrating scientific concepts.
From October 20-22, 2025, international experts will gather at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam to explore the history and development of the relativistic two-body problem. more
Artist’s impression of a newly-formed black hole ringing down.
The LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration and the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics celebrate the anniversary and present new, exciting results. more
Computer simulation of the merger of two black holes, depicted as a colorful, spiral pattern of gravitational waves.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first gravitational-wave detection, we will be taking part in the Long Night of Astronomy on September 13, 2025, at the Zeiss Großplanetarium in Berlin. more
Visualization of the gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger in tones of yellow, green, and blue.
LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics and at Leibniz University Hannover make significant contributions to detect and analyze new gravitational-wave candidates more
Poster of the workshop
A decade after the first gravitational-wave detection, this workshop brings together physicists, historians, and philosophers to explore the evolving history of the relativistic two-body problem.

Location: Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Potsdam Science Park
Date: October 20-22, 2025 more
An image featuring spherical intricate green and yellow wave-like swirls, resembling fluid motion, contrasted by a starry dark background.
The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam is part of the network aiming to decipher the secrets encoded in gravitational-wave data. more
Abstract teal and dark blue swirling wave-like shapes.
Gravitational waves from massive black holes challenge current astrophysical models more
Representation of dark energy, cosmic background radiation (CMB), supernovae (SNe) and BAO.
Research team presents a new approach to testing the nature of dark energy more
The figure shows the first four bound states of the effective system.

Black holes upside down

July 08, 2025
An AEI Potsdam researcher has investigated, for the first time, energy levels and eigenfunctions of the Schwarzschild black hole quantitatively. more
A man wearing a dark suit and a light-colored shirt stands in a glass corridor.
The University of Maryland's Physics Department student prize has been awarded again to a PhD student at the AEI Potsdam. more
Colour representation of gravitational waves emitted by a close encounter between black holes. It is somewhat reminiscent of an asymmetrical butterfly.
Applying abstract mathematical structures to real-world phenomena provides new insights into gravitational waves more
Grid of various galaxies.
ESA’s Euclid mission releases first survey data more
Neural network deciphers gravitational waves from merging neutron stars in a second
Machine learning method could revolutionize multi-messenger astronomy more
The image shows a view of a huge cluster of galaxies with numerous luminous galaxies distributed in a dark universe. In the center of the image is a large elliptical galaxy surrounded by a faint golden glow. A highlighted section shows a magnified view of a gravitational lensing effect: a distant galaxy is distorted by the gravity of the galaxy cluster into an almost perfect Einstein ring.

With Einstein on crooked paths

February 27, 2025
Annual fundraising project supports search for gravitational waves deflected by gravity more
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