Event
ET‑PP Annual Meeting Gathers Einstein Telescope Community in Barcelona
July 25, 2025
Gravitational Waves GroupThe three-day gathering helped drive forward the strategic planning efforts for the Einstein Telescope’s next phase.
From 22 to 24 July 2025, IFAE organized and hosted the ET‑PP INFRA‑DEV Annual Meeting at the UPF Barcelona School of Management, welcoming key contributors in the Einstein Telescope Preparatory Phase (ET‑PP).
The three-day gathering brought together ET‑PP work‑package coordinators, board members, and key stakeholders for in-depth discussions on the outcomes of the ET‑PP RP2 review, project status updates, and strategic planning for the post‑ET‑PP transition.
The program featured plenary sessions, technical parallel workshops, and governance discussions focused on industrial return, sustainability, site selection, financial models, and data management policy. The revised agenda also covered the legal structure and the role of ET within the larger gravitational-wave science community.
This intensive and productive meeting marked a key milestone in advancing ET‑PP objectives and preparing for the next phase of the Einstein Telescope project.
Eugenio Coccia, Mario Martínez, Gonzalo Merino, Isaac Esparbé, Arnau Picó, Pep Freixanet and Dylan Valencia participated.
Gravitational Waves
Spain strengthens its participation in major gravitational-wave infrastructures
December 10, 2025
The Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities has allocated new funding to Spain’s participation in major international gravitational-wave infrastructures, with the Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE) designated as the institution through which these contributions will be channelled.
Results
LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA complete their richest gravitational-wave observation run to date
November 18, 2025
The LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration has announced the completion of O4, the most productive gravitational-wave observation run so far, yielding an unprecedented number of candidate events and high-quality data for the scientific community.
Results
LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA observed 'second generation' black holes for the first time
October 29, 2025
Researchers from the Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), through its Gravitational Waves group, participate in the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA collaboration that has reported the first observational evidence of candidate second-generation black holes. The analysis of two gravitational-wave signals reveals binary systems with unusual mass ratios and spin configurations, opening a new window on black-hole formation in dense astrophysical environments.