Strong Group

The Strong Group is a research group under the Niels Bohr International Academy that explores the influence of gravitational waves in the dynamics of several systems. The Strong Group focuses on strong-field gravity, including black hole spectroscopy, tests of the black hole paradigm and tests of extensions of General Relativity.

The STRONG Group is funded by a Villum Investigator grant, a DNRF Chair grant and an ERC Advanced grant. The STRONG Group is directed by Prof. Vitor Cardoso and currently counts 8 senior researchers, 6 PhD students, 1 IT consultant and 1 research coordinator at NBI Copenhagen, and 3 postdocs and 2 PhD students at the Tecnico University in Lisbon, Portugal.

About Strong group

The STRONG Group is funded by a Villum Investigator grant, a DNRF Chair grant and an ERC Advanced grant.

The STRONG Group is directed by Prof. Vitor Cardoso and currently counts 8 senior researchers, 6 PhD students, 1 IT consultant and 1 research coordinator at NBI Copenhagen, and 3 postdocs and 2 PhD students at the Tecnico University in Lisbon, Portugal.

The team in Copenhagen is part of the Niels Bohr International Academy at the Niels Bohr Institute, Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen, located in the historic buildings on Blegdamsvej 17 in Copenhagen.

The strong team will explore black holes as engines of discovery for fundamental physics.

We will lay down a precise roadmap for black hole spectroscopy, for quantifying the evidence for horizons in the cosmos, and will study how to constraint dark matter properties using black holes as laboratories.

This coordinated program will study and test the strong-field regime of gravity and the matter content of our universe.

The proposed program will significantly advance our knowledge of Einstein’s field equations and their role in foundational questions, including the fate and resolution of spacetime singularities.

We hope you join us in this exciting endeavor.

The research

Gravitational-wave astronomy has revolutionized science

Gravitational-wave astronomy opened a new window to an hitherto invisible universe, one where black holes play a key role. Driven by this momentous event, gravitational physics is experiencing a revolution, and is an exciting and attractive line of research with an immense discovery potential.

The STRONG Group aims to explore the influence of gravitational waves in the dynamics of several systems, for instance gravitational waves emitted by extreme-mass ratio systems, waves emitted by scalar structures, and waves emitted by exotic compact objects.

In fact, we aim to test General Relativity and the black hole paradigm to unprecedented levels.

The group's focus is on strong-field gravity, including black hole spectroscopy, tests of the black hole paradigm and tests of extensions of General Relativity.

The breakthroughs at the observational and experimental level make strong gravity physics one of this century’s most active and exciting fields of research.

The synthesis of these results has the potential to answer some of the most pressing issues in our understanding of the cosmos and the laws of Nature.

The scientific prospects and exciting opportunities now opened have potential paradigm shifting consequences in astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics.