Storming the Gravitational Wave Frontier

The detection of gravitational waves by Advanced LIGO/Virgo has opened a new frontier in physics, with impact on areas ranging from field theory through stellar evolution and cosmology. It has also seeded new connections between theoretical communities, especially between field theorists and classical relativists. An even brighter future lies ahead, with more sensitive ground-based detectors and, eventually, a space-based observatory. Current and future experiments demand precision modelling of gravitational-wave signals in order to interpret the strongest gravitational-wave events and to enable sensitive searches for new physics which may be embedded in these signals. The conference will bring together experts from three communities: classical relativity, effective field theory, and scattering amplitudes. Building on the current state of the art, we will discuss the needs of the next generation of gravitational-wave experiments; identify which challenges theory must overcome; highlight recent advances in gravitational wave modelling for more detailed study; and uncover the most promising emerging tools and techniques from classical and quantum field theory for further development.