Research Interests

Cosmology with Gravitational Waves

Gravitational waves (GWs) are self-calibrated standard sirens. From the detection of GWs from compact binaries coalescence, we can directly estimate the luminosity distance of the source. If provided with a redshift estimation GWs can be used to study the cosmological expansion of the Universe. Unfortunately, GWs do not provide the redshift estimation and therefore complementary observations must be provided. I am interested in projects on how GWs sources can be used to probe cosmology. My collaborators and I have been active in developing and applying methodologies for GW cosmology with electromagnetic counterparts, galaxy surveys and Binary Black Hole mass functions. 

Tests of General Relativity with Gravitational Waves

Despite its large amount of tests General Relativity has still some open questions such as ''Does compact and horizonless compact objects exist?'' , ''What is the speed of gravity? Is there a massive graviton?'', ''What is the nature of Dark Energy?''. These questions might be leveraged with GWs. My collaborators and I have been active in looking for GW echoes following a compact binary coalescence (that can be indicative of the presence of exotic compact objects) but also in studying and constraining theories beyond gravity that predict the existence of extra dimensions on cosmological scales.

Binary Black Hole progenitors

Binary black holes, as well as other compact star coalescences, are formed from stellar progenitors or from previous mergers of compact stars. We expect different formation channels to leave characteristic fingerprints on the binary source parameters. For instance, a binary black hole formed in isolated stellar binaries is expected to have nearly equal masses and aligned spins. I am interested in inferring the astrophysical formation channels starting from compact binaries observed with GWs.