Gravitational waves from neutron stars: Promises and challenges

TL;DR

This paper reviews how neutron stars produce gravitational waves, recent modeling advances, and the potential of future detectors to test fundamental physics, highlighting scientific goals and challenges for next-generation observatories.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of neutron star gravitational wave sources, modeling improvements, and outlines future detector goals and challenges for probing neutron star physics.

Findings

Neutron stars can generate detectable gravitational waves through various mechanisms.

Recent modeling improvements enhance the prospects of gravitational wave detection.

Future detectors like the Einstein Telescope will enable tests of fundamental physics.

Abstract

We discuss different ways that neutron stars can generate gravitational waves, describe recent improvements in modelling the relevant scenarios in the context of improving detector sensitivity, and show how observations are beginning to test our understanding of fundamental physics. The main purpose of the discussion is to establish promising science goals for third-generation ground-based detectors, like the Einstein Telescope, and identify the various challenges that need to be met if we want to use gravitational-wave data to probe neutron star physics.