Wednesday 11th November 2026 The Caroline Herschel Prize Lecture: Violent Beginnings Have Violent Ends

Deciphering the Origins of Binary Compact Object Collisions with Gravitational Waves

Dr Isobel Romero-Shaw, Cardiff University

Wednesday 11 November 2026 19.00 – 20.30 | 10E 0.17 Lecture Theatre, University of Bath (and streamed live)

When black holes and neutron stars collide, they mark the dramatic end of a long and sometimes violent history. Despite having detected almost 400 such collisions in gravitational waves since 2015, the formation scenarios of these enigmatic systems remain mysterious. The shapes of the binary orbits are a key clue: calm binary star evolution leads to circular orbits, while chaotic encounters in star clusters, galactic nuclei, and field triples can lead to dramatic deviations from circularity. In this lecture, Isobel will show how binaries with violent beginnings can be identified through tell-tale signatures of orbital eccentricity in gravitational wave signals.

Isobel Romero-Shaw is an STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellow at Cardiff University, where she researches gravitational waves: tiny space-time ripples produced by some of the most extreme events in the Universe. Her research focuses on the collisions of black holes and neutron stars, studying the gravitational waves they emit to uncover how these compact stellar remnants meet and eventually merge. By deciphering clues hidden in the signals, such as the objects’ masses, spins, and orbital shapes, she investigates the cosmic origins of these remarkable events. Isobel is excited to share some of the latest results in this field and, together with the audience, explore the hidden lives of black holes and neutron stars in her Caroline Herschel prize lecture.

To book your free place at this lecture please visit https://tinyurl.com/2spd7yft
or contact the Physics Enquiries Team on physicsenquiries@bath.ac.uk