About

WP1 investigates the interplay between matter fields and black holes in strong-gravity regimes. The work package focuses on developing a comprehensive relativistic framework for black-hole solutions embedded in realistic astrophysical environments, with the goal of characterising their physical properties and dynamical behaviour. A central objective of WP1 is to assess how environmental effects modify gravitational-wave emission, particularly during merger events. By modelling these effects in both asymmetric and comparable-mass systems, WP1 provides essential input for waveform construction and for the interpretation of gravitational-wave observations in realistic astrophysical settings.

WP2 addresses gravitational-wave signatures of theories beyond General Relativity, and the role of additional fundamental fields. The objective is to develop accurate waveform models that describe the full coalescence of binary black holes in beyond-GR scenarios. This work package combines numerical relativity and perturbative techniques to cover the mass range relevant for current and future gravitational-wave detectors. In parallel, WP2 develops novel effective-field-theory approaches specifically tailored to asymmetric binaries, which are prime targets for space-based observatories.

WP3 is dedicated to the modelling of Exotic Compact Objects (ECOs) and to the construction of the first full-coalescence gravitational-wave signals emitted by ECO binaries. The aim is to capture deviations from the Kerr black-hole paradigm across all phases of the coalescence process. The WP focuses on concrete and well-motivated models for which members of the STRONG consortium have already produced seminal results. By exploring the parameter space of these models, WP3 seeks to span a broad and representative family of black-hole mimickers and to identify robust observational signatures of their exotic nature.

WP4 integrates the waveform models developed in WPs 1–3 into advanced data-analysis pipelines for gravitational-wave observations. The work package extends existing inference frameworks with new algorithms for parameter estimation and model selection, tailored to both comparable-mass and asymmetric systems. Analyses are conducted using simulated data from next-generation space- and ground-based detectors, supported by astrophysically motivated source catalogues. All tools are released to the community to maximise scientific impact and enable direct application to current data by LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA detectors.