TY - JOUR
T1 - The Science of the Einstein Telescope
AU - The Einstein Telescope collaboration
AU - Abac, Adrian
AU - Abramo, Raul
AU - Albanesi, Simone
AU - Albertini, Angelica
AU - Agapito, Alessandro
AU - Agathos, Michalis
AU - Albertus, Conrado
AU - Andersson, Nils
AU - Andrade, Tomás
AU - Andreoni, Igor
AU - Angeloni, Federico
AU - Antonelli, Marco
AU - Antoniadis, John
AU - Antonini, Fabio
AU - Sedda, Manuel Arca
AU - Celeste Artale, M.
AU - Ascenzi, Stefano
AU - Auclair, Pierre
AU - Bachetti, Matteo
AU - Badger, Charles
AU - Banerjee, Biswajit
AU - Barba-González, David
AU - Barta, Dániel
AU - Bartolo, Nicola
AU - Bauswein, Andreas
AU - Begnoni, Andrea
AU - Beirnaert, Freija
AU - Bejger, Michał
AU - Belgacem, Enis
AU - Bellomo, Nicola
AU - Bernard, Laura
AU - Bernardini, Maria Grazia
AU - Bernuzzi, Sebastiano
AU - Berry, Christopher P.L.
AU - Berti, Emanuele
AU - Bertone, Gianfranco
AU - Bettoni, Dario
AU - Bezares, Miguel
AU - Bhagwat, Swetha
AU - Bisero, Sofia
AU - Bizouard, Marie Anne
AU - Blanco-Pillado, Jose J.
AU - Blasi, Simone
AU - Bonino, Alice
AU - Borghese, Alice
AU - Borghi, Nicola
AU - Borhanian, Ssohrab
AU - Bortolas, Elisa
AU - Botticella, Maria Teresa
AU - Chaty, Sylvain
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 The Author(s)
PY - 2026/3/1
Y1 - 2026/3/1
N2 - Einstein Telescope (ET) is the European project for a gravitational-wave (GW) observatory of third-generation. In this paper we present a comprehensive discussion of its science objectives, providing state-of-the-art predictions for the capabilities of ET in both geometries currently under consideration, a single-site triangular configuration or two L-shaped detectors. We discuss the impact that ET will have on domains as broad and diverse as fundamental physics, cosmology, early Universe, astrophysics of compact objects, physics of matter in extreme conditions, and dynamics of stellar collapse. We discuss how the study of extreme astrophysical events will be enhanced by multi-messenger observations. We highlight the ET synergies with ground-based and space-borne GW observatories, including multi-band investigations of the same sources, improved parameter estimation, and complementary information on astrophysical or cosmological mechanisms obtained combining observations from different frequency bands. We present advancements in waveform modeling dedicated to third-generation observatories, along with open tools developed within the ET Collaboration for assessing the scientific potentials of different detector configurations. We finally discuss the data analysis challenges posed by third-generation observatories, which will enable access to large populations of sources and provide unprecedented precision.
AB - Einstein Telescope (ET) is the European project for a gravitational-wave (GW) observatory of third-generation. In this paper we present a comprehensive discussion of its science objectives, providing state-of-the-art predictions for the capabilities of ET in both geometries currently under consideration, a single-site triangular configuration or two L-shaped detectors. We discuss the impact that ET will have on domains as broad and diverse as fundamental physics, cosmology, early Universe, astrophysics of compact objects, physics of matter in extreme conditions, and dynamics of stellar collapse. We discuss how the study of extreme astrophysical events will be enhanced by multi-messenger observations. We highlight the ET synergies with ground-based and space-borne GW observatories, including multi-band investigations of the same sources, improved parameter estimation, and complementary information on astrophysical or cosmological mechanisms obtained combining observations from different frequency bands. We present advancements in waveform modeling dedicated to third-generation observatories, along with open tools developed within the ET Collaboration for assessing the scientific potentials of different detector configurations. We finally discuss the data analysis challenges posed by third-generation observatories, which will enable access to large populations of sources and provide unprecedented precision.
KW - gravitational wave detectors
KW - gravitational waves / experiments
KW - gravitational waves / sources
KW - gravitational waves / theory
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105035770247
U2 - 10.1088/1475-7516/2026/03/081
DO - 10.1088/1475-7516/2026/03/081
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105035770247
SN - 1475-7516
VL - 2026
JO - Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
JF - Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
IS - 3
M1 - 081
ER -