Benjamin Steltner

Dr. Benjamin Steltner is a postdoctoral researcher at the Albert Einstein Institute in Hannover, Germany, specializing in the detection and analysis of continuous gravitational waves (CGWs) from rotating neutron stars. His work focuses on developing advanced data analysis techniques for the Advanced LIGO detectors and the Einstein@Home project, which utilizes distributed volunteer computing to identify CGW sources.

• B.Sc. in Physics (2015) and M.Sc. in Physics (2018) from Leibniz University Hannover
• Ph.D. (2023) from Leibniz University Hannover with thesis on "Large-Scale Surveys for Continuous Gravitational Waves: From Data Preparation to Multi-Stage Hierarchical Follow-Ups"

Steltner’s research targets continuous gravitational waves—extremely weak signals from neutron stars with non-axisymmetric deformations. He works on the entire Einstein@Home pipeline, including data cleaning, large-scale searches, and candidate validation. His recent publications emphasize deep learning integration, noise transient mitigation, and expanding observational limits in CGW astronomy.

His publications highlight trends in continuous gravitational wave detection, leveraging machine learning for signal extraction, and refining methods to distinguish astrophysical signals from detector noise. Collaborations include major institutions like the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics and Leibniz University Hannover.

Steltner is affiliated with the Einstein@Home project and contributes to gravitational wave data analysis frameworks. His work addresses challenges in identifying CGW sources, improving neutron star property constraints, and advancing multimessenger astronomy capabilities.