Caroline B. Owen
about
I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca. I work with Professor Davide Gerosa in the Department of Physics "Giuseppe Occhialini." I received my Ph.D. from the Physics Department at the University of Illinois, where I worked with Professor Nicolás Yunes. My dissertation was titled Gravitational waves as an avenue for exploring fundamental physics.
In my research, I use gravitational wave observations to understand new physics. I have studied the mathematical structures of black holes in modified theories of gravity and the impact of model inaccuracies on biases in parameters recovered from gravitational wave data. Currently, I am interested in using gravitational wave observations of compact binaries to study dark matter.
Pronouns: she/her
research
dark matter
While there is overwhelming evidence for the existence of dark matter in our Universe, we have yet to detect it directly. Neutron stars will collect dark matter as they move through galactic environments. Observations of gravitational waves from these neutron star binaries provide a novel way to deepen our understanding of dark matter. I have used such observations to place constraints on dark matter effects. I am also excited about the potential of using extreme-mass-ratio inspiral signals observed by the future space-based detector LISA to place constraints on dark matter candidates such as ultra-light bosons.
waveform systematics
The models we use when extracting information from gravitational-wave signals, known as waveforms, are necessarily approximations. Mis-modeling can lead to bias in parameter estimation. In my research, I have shown that mismodeling in calibrated coefficients in phenomenological waveforms could cause significant bias in the parameters recovered from observed gravitational-wave signals. I have also worked with collaborators to propose methods to mitigate this bias. I am currently exploring whether mismodeling in the analysis of individual signals could affect the population characteristics inferred from a catalog of observations.
modified gravity
General relativity is famously well-tested in weak-gravity systems such as the solar system and binary pulsars. However, gravitational waves emitted during compact binary coalescence offer a unique way to observe strong-gravity systems, where we may find new physics. To use these observations to test general relativity, we first need to understand isolated black hole solutions in modified theories of gravity. I have studied the mathematical structure of spinning black hole solutions in quadratic gravity theories. Our prediction of chaotic features in geodesic motion on these black hole backgrounds was later confirmed by numerical studies.
publications
Find my INSPIRE profile here.
Simone Mezzasoma, Carl-Johan Haster, Caroline B. Owen, Neil J. Cornish, Nicolás Yunes. Uncertainty-Aware Waveform Modeling for High-SNR Gravitational-Wave Inference. Phys. Rev. D 112, 044057, 2025
Caroline B. Owen, Alexandria Tucker, Yonatan Kahn, Nicolás Yunes. Constraining dark-sector effects using gravitational waves from compact binary inspirals. Phys. Rev. D 111, 124042, 2025
Caroline B. Owen, Carl-Johan Haster, Scott Perkins, Neil J. Cornish, and Nicolás Yunes. Waveform accuracy and systematic uncertainties in current gravitational wave observations. Phys. Rev. D 108, 044018, 2023
Caroline B. Owen, Nicolás Yunes, and Helvi Witek. Petrov type, principal null directions, and Killing tensors of slowly rotating black holes in quadratic gravity. Phys. Rev. D 103, 124057, 2021
teaching
Gravitational Waves from Compact Binaries, Example Sessions
Theoretical Aspects of Astroparticle Physics, Cosmology, and Gravitation PhD School
Galileo Galilei Institute for Theoretical Physics, Arcetri, Florence
Upcoming
Current and Future Challenges in Gravitational-Wave Astronomy
Graduate Course, Universitá degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
Graduate Teaching Assistant Positions
Graduate Particle Physics, University of Illinois
Undergraduate Electricity and Magnetism with Calculus, University of Illinois
Undergraduate Electricity and Magnetism with Algebra, University of Illinois
Honors Undergraduate Electricity and Magnetism with Calculus, Montana State University
Undergraduate Electricity and Magnetism with Algebra, Montana State University