GW Explorer: A Beginner's Guide

This project aims to introduce high-school students to the exciting field of Gravitational-Wave (GW) astrophysics through hands-on educational Python Jupyter Notebooks. The tutorials are designed to build a foundational understanding of both coding and GW astrophysics by guiding students step-by-step in exploring real GW data and analyses.

Run in Google Colab

1. Download the Jupyter Notebooks (.ipynb files) 1–3 from the main repository (they will not render properly in Git due to interactive widgets).
2. Upload the notebooks to a folder in your Google Drive.
3. In Google Drive, right-click on the notebook file and select “Open with → Google Colaboratory”. (If you don’t see this option, you may need to install the Google Colab Drive extension: Open with $\rightarrow$ Connect more apps $\rightarrow$ Find "Google Colaboratory")

Repository Structure

• Notebook Drafts (in main folder):
  Three Jupyter notebooks in draft form, each progressively exploring key concepts and data analysis techniques in Gravitational-Wave astronomy.

  • Notebook 1: Black holes & Spacetime
  • Notebook 2: Generating Waveforms
  • Notebook 3: Bayesian Parameter Estimation & Population Inference

  These are ready for review and testing.

• short_result (folder):
  Contains JSON files with posterior results and output data supporting the analysis presented in the third notebook.

• data (folder):
  Includes the GWTC-3.0-confident event catalog in CSV format, providing population parameters used throughout the notebooks.

Goals

• Engage students with interactive code exploring real Gravitational-Wave events.
• Demonstrate core concepts of Bayesian inference, parameter estimation, and astrophysical source properties.
• Foster computational skills with Python tools commonly used in GW research.

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Feel free to explore the notebooks and data, and provide feedback through my direct email to help improve this educational resource!