Astro2020 Decadal Science White Paper: The state of gravitational-wave astrophysics in 2020

TL;DR

Gravitational-wave astrophysics has rapidly advanced since inception, with current achievements surpassing expectations, and future progress depends on expanding observational spectrum and developing space-based observatories.

Contribution

This white paper reviews the current state of gravitational-wave astrophysics and discusses future prospects, emphasizing the importance of spectrum expansion and space-based observatories.

Findings

LIGO's discoveries have exceeded expectations.

The field is in its early stages but rapidly progressing.

Future advancements rely on spectrum expansion and space-based detectors.

Abstract

While still in its infancy, the budding field of gravitational-wave astronomy has so far exceeded most expectations, and the achievements that have already been made bode well for the decade to come. While the discoveries made possible by LIGO have captured the imagination of experts and nonexperts alike, it is important when looking ahead to consider those discoveries in the context of the field as a whole. Just as radio, optical, and x-ray radiation probe different physical phenomena occurring on a range of length and energy scales, the future of gravitational-wave astrophysics depends on our ability to open up the entire spectrum. We will describe the scientific prospects for the field of gravitational-wave astronomy as a whole as we enter the coming decade, and we will place the specific contributions from a future space-based gravitational-wave observatory within this context.