Gravitational-wave burst astronomy

Abstract

To date, scientists have identified over one hundred gravitational-wave detections linked to collisions of neutron stars and black holes, while no other origins have yet been confirmed. Theoretical models suggest that some of the most energetic cosmic explosions should generate short gravitational-wave bursts, potentially paving the way for the next milestone in multi-messenger astronomy. These transient signals are typically characterized by uncertain waveforms and energy levels, owing to the poorly understood or highly complex nature of their progenitors. Candidate sources include core-collapse supernova events, cosmic string activity, fast radio bursts, eccentric compact binaries, and the phenomenon known as gravitational-wave memory. This review outlines the astrophysical characteristics of these predicted burst sources, describes what is currently known about their emission, explores the likelihood of future detections, and examines the difficulties in identifying such signals and decoding their astrophysical origins.