Gravitational lensing: towards combining the multi-messengers.

Abstract

The next generation of gravitational wave (GW) detectors and electromagnetic telescopes are beckoning the onset of the multi-messenger era and the exciting science that lies ahead. Multi-messenger strong gravitational lensing will help probe some of the most important questions of the Universe in an unprecedented manner. In particular, understanding the nature of GW sources, the underlying physical processes and mechanisms that produce emissions well before or right until the time of the merger, their associations to the seemingly distinct populations of gamma-ray bursts, fast radio bursts and kilonovae. Not to mention the fact that multi-messenger lensing will offer unique probes of test of gravity models and constraints on cosmological parameters complementary to other probes. Enabling multi-messenger science calls for concerted follow-up efforts and the development of new and shared resources in the community.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Multi-messenger gravitational lensing (Part 2)'.