IDEAS NRT Trainee Michael Katz is a gravitational wave physicist and data analyst focusing mainly on the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). LISA is a future space-based gravitational wave detector that will detect both similar and unique phenomena compared to LIGO.

Katz spent time at the Astroparticle and Cosmology Laboratory in Paris, France where he worked on computational advancements for the LISA data analysis pipeline. Katz worked on the usage of graphics processing units (GPUs) to accelerate our statistical inference capabilities.

These accelerated analyses were combined with state-of-the-art Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis algorithms that are extensions of the concepts taught in DATA-SCI 401 and 421. These courses were developed by IDEAS faculty and supported through the IDEAS NRT Grant.

The methods Katz developed while in France are being used to efficiently understand detection prospects and parameter inference for LISA as we move towards mission launch. His code infrastructure is the only existing code base that can handle true analysis of an actual LISA data stream; every other method currently requires a variety of approximations to ensure computational tractability. The methods developed for the LISA mission are extendable to experiments like LIGO. Upon completion of his thesis this year, Katz is slated to work with scientists directly involved in LIGO data analysis to understand how these efficient algorithms can help aid LIGO in its quest to detect exotic objects throughout the Universe.