In 2017, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for the direct detection of gravitational waves – ripples in spacetime produced by the merger of compact astronomical objects like black holes or neutron stars. This major breakthrough has opened up new opportunities for fundamental physics that go far beyond the study of compact objects. In particular, present and upcoming gravitational wave interferometers offer unprecedented possibilities for unraveling the nature of the mysterious dark matter that appears to permeate the universe on all scales. Dark matter is known to exist in one form or another – we see its gravitational effects everywhere in the universe on the scale of galaxies and beyond – but its fundamental nature remains unknown.

In their proposal, Gianfranco Bertone and Samaya Nissanke – leading experts on dark matter and gravitational waves – propose new methods to robustly discriminate gravitational wave signatures of dark matter from other astrophysical signals. With the team of two additional scientific researchers that the ENW-M grant allows them to set up, the grant makes it possible to infer dark matter models and parameters from upcoming gravitational wave interferometers, paving the way for searches that will be performed with the LISA space interferometer over the next decade. This will allow the team to get closer to solve one of the biggest mysteries of the Universe: ‘What is dark matter?’

About the NWO Open Competition Domain Science-M

M-grants are intended for realising curiosity-driven, fundamental research of high quality and/or scientific urgency. The M-grant offers researchers the possibility to elaborate creative and risky ideas and to realise scientific innovations that can form the basis for the research themes of the future. There are three categories of M-grants: M-1 (one scientific position), M-2 (two scientific positions in collaboration) and M-invest (investments) that are assessed in competition with each other.

In this M-round (package 21-5), a total of 72 grant applications were evaluated, of which 40 M-1 proposals, 31 M-2 proposals and 1 M-invest proposal. The NWO Domain Science Board decided to award 10 M-1 proposals and 9 M-2 proposals.