![Phil Relton](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/519?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Overview
I am a PhD student in gravitational-wave astrophysics. This includes searching for and interpreting the mergers of compact binary objects such as black holes and neutron stars. With this work I am a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, and have contributed to the discovery and analysis of several binary mergers.
Outside the collaboration, my research mainly involves planning for the future of gravitational-wave astronomy. This includes improving the speed and accuracy of gravitational wave data analysis, and preparing for possible events that our current search and interpretation methods will struggle with.
Publication
2023
- Abbott, R. et al. 2023. Population of merging compact binaries inferred using gravitational waves through GWTC-3. Physical Review X 13(1), article number: 11048. (10.1103/PhysRevX.13.011048)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2023. Search for subsolar-mass black hole binaries in the second part of Advanced LIGO's and Advanced Virgo's third observing run. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, article number: stad588. (10.1093/mnras/stad588)
2022
- Relton, P. et al. 2022. Addressing the challenges of detecting time-overlapping compact binary coalescences. Physical Review D 106(10), article number: 104045. (10.1103/PhysRevD.106.104045)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Search for gravitational waves from Scorpius X-1 with a hidden Markov model in O3 LIGO data. Physical Review D 106(6), article number: 62002. (10.1103/PhysRevD.106.062002)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Search for continuous gravitational wave emission from the Milky Way center in O3 LIGO-Virgo data. Physical Review D 106(4), article number: 42003. (10.1103/PhysRevD.106.042003)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Search for subsolar-mass binaries in the first half of advanced LIGO's and advanced Virgo's third observing run. Physical Review Letters 129(6) (10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.061104)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. First joint observation by the underground gravitational-wave detector, KAGRA, with GEO 600. Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics 2022(6), article number: 063F01. (10.1093/ptep/ptac073)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Narrowband searches for continuous and long-duration transient gravitational waves from known pulsars in the LIGO-Virgo third observing run. Astrophysical Journal 932(2), article number: 133. (10.3847/1538-4357/ac6ad0)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. All-sky search for gravitational wave emission from scalar boson clouds around spinning black holes in LIGO O3 data. Physical Review D 105(10), article number: 102001. (10.1103/PhysRevD.105.102001)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Search of the early O3 LIGO data for continuous gravitational waves from the Cassiopeia A and Vela Jr. supernova remnants. Physical Review D 105(8), article number: 82005. (10.1103/PhysRevD.105.082005)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Search for gravitational waves associated with gamma-ray bursts detected by Fermi and Swift during the LIGO-Virgo Run O3b. Astrophysical Journal 928(2), article number: 186. (10.3847/1538-4357/ac532b)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Search for intermediate-mass black hole binaries in the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. Astronomy & Astrophysics 659, article number: A84. (10.1051/0004-6361/202141452)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Constraints on dark photon dark matter using data from LIGO's and Virgo's third observing run. Physical Review D 105(6), article number: 63030. (10.1103/PhysRevD.105.063030)
2021
- Abbott, R. et al. 2021. Search for lensing signatures in the gravitational-wave observations from the first half of LIGO-Virgo's third observing run. Astrophysical Journal 923(1), article number: 14. (10.3847/1538-4357/ac23db)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2021. All-sky search for short gravitational-wave bursts in the third Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo run. Physical Review D 104, article number: 122004. (10.1103/PhysRevD.104.122004)
- Vermeulen, S. M. et al. 2021. Direct limits for scalar field dark matter from a gravitational-wave detector. Nature 600(7889), pp. 424-428. (10.1038/s41586-021-04031-y)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2021. Search for anisotropic gravitational-wave backgrounds using data from Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo's first three observing runs. Physical Review D 104(2), article number: 22005. (10.1103/PhysRevD.104.022005)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2021. Upper limits on the isotropic gravitational-wave background from Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo's third observing run. Physical Review D 104(2), article number: 22004. (10.1103/PhysRevD.104.022004)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2021. Observation of gravitational waves from two neutron star-black hole coalescences. Astrophysical Journal Letters 915(1), article number: L5. (10.3847/2041-8213/ac082e)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2021. All-sky search in early O3 LIGO data for continuous gravitational-wave signals from unknown neutron stars in binary systems. Physical Review D 103(6), article number: 64017. (10.1103/PhysRevD.103.064017)
Articles
- Abbott, R. et al. 2023. Population of merging compact binaries inferred using gravitational waves through GWTC-3. Physical Review X 13(1), article number: 11048. (10.1103/PhysRevX.13.011048)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2023. Search for subsolar-mass black hole binaries in the second part of Advanced LIGO's and Advanced Virgo's third observing run. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, article number: stad588. (10.1093/mnras/stad588)
- Relton, P. et al. 2022. Addressing the challenges of detecting time-overlapping compact binary coalescences. Physical Review D 106(10), article number: 104045. (10.1103/PhysRevD.106.104045)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Search for gravitational waves from Scorpius X-1 with a hidden Markov model in O3 LIGO data. Physical Review D 106(6), article number: 62002. (10.1103/PhysRevD.106.062002)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Search for continuous gravitational wave emission from the Milky Way center in O3 LIGO-Virgo data. Physical Review D 106(4), article number: 42003. (10.1103/PhysRevD.106.042003)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Search for subsolar-mass binaries in the first half of advanced LIGO's and advanced Virgo's third observing run. Physical Review Letters 129(6) (10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.061104)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. First joint observation by the underground gravitational-wave detector, KAGRA, with GEO 600. Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics 2022(6), article number: 063F01. (10.1093/ptep/ptac073)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Narrowband searches for continuous and long-duration transient gravitational waves from known pulsars in the LIGO-Virgo third observing run. Astrophysical Journal 932(2), article number: 133. (10.3847/1538-4357/ac6ad0)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. All-sky search for gravitational wave emission from scalar boson clouds around spinning black holes in LIGO O3 data. Physical Review D 105(10), article number: 102001. (10.1103/PhysRevD.105.102001)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Search of the early O3 LIGO data for continuous gravitational waves from the Cassiopeia A and Vela Jr. supernova remnants. Physical Review D 105(8), article number: 82005. (10.1103/PhysRevD.105.082005)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Search for gravitational waves associated with gamma-ray bursts detected by Fermi and Swift during the LIGO-Virgo Run O3b. Astrophysical Journal 928(2), article number: 186. (10.3847/1538-4357/ac532b)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Search for intermediate-mass black hole binaries in the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. Astronomy & Astrophysics 659, article number: A84. (10.1051/0004-6361/202141452)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2022. Constraints on dark photon dark matter using data from LIGO's and Virgo's third observing run. Physical Review D 105(6), article number: 63030. (10.1103/PhysRevD.105.063030)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2021. Search for lensing signatures in the gravitational-wave observations from the first half of LIGO-Virgo's third observing run. Astrophysical Journal 923(1), article number: 14. (10.3847/1538-4357/ac23db)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2021. All-sky search for short gravitational-wave bursts in the third Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo run. Physical Review D 104, article number: 122004. (10.1103/PhysRevD.104.122004)
- Vermeulen, S. M. et al. 2021. Direct limits for scalar field dark matter from a gravitational-wave detector. Nature 600(7889), pp. 424-428. (10.1038/s41586-021-04031-y)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2021. Search for anisotropic gravitational-wave backgrounds using data from Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo's first three observing runs. Physical Review D 104(2), article number: 22005. (10.1103/PhysRevD.104.022005)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2021. Upper limits on the isotropic gravitational-wave background from Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo's third observing run. Physical Review D 104(2), article number: 22004. (10.1103/PhysRevD.104.022004)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2021. Observation of gravitational waves from two neutron star-black hole coalescences. Astrophysical Journal Letters 915(1), article number: L5. (10.3847/2041-8213/ac082e)
- Abbott, R. et al. 2021. All-sky search in early O3 LIGO data for continuous gravitational-wave signals from unknown neutron stars in binary systems. Physical Review D 103(6), article number: 64017. (10.1103/PhysRevD.103.064017)
Research
My research focuses on gravitational-wave data analysis. This currently includes, but is not limited to:
- Parameter estimation of gravitational-wave transients, via Bayesian inference
- Searches for gravitational-wave transients
- The construction of Reduced-Order-Quadrature basis for faster parameter estimation
Teaching
I have helped run undergraduate and masters courses including:
- PX4128: Data Analysis
- PXT903: Gravitational Wave Astrophysics
