UCLA

The detection of gravitational waves (GWs) has opened a new window beyond traditional electromagnetic (EM) observations, vastly expanding the observable compact-object population and revealing some of the Universe's most energetic and exotic processes. In this thesis, I focus on one defining property of GW sources: eccentricity. Specifically, I investigate the population and GW signatures of eccentric compact object binaries across a variety of astrophysical environments. Combining dynamical simulations and waveform analysis, I demonstrate that highly eccentric binaries can dominate the mHz GW source population in the local Universe and produce distinctive "repeated-burst" GW signals. These signatures can significantly improve binary parameter measurements and provide direct probes of their host environments. Furthermore, I show that eccentric systems can generate a substantial stochastic GW background and produce multimessenger counterparts such as ultracompact X-ray binaries (UCXBs). I also develop a public software package (LEAP) for the population and waveform analysis of eccentric sources. These results establish eccentric compact binaries as a prevalent and promising population for multimessenger observations, enabling them to be accurately modeled and fully utilized in the era of GW astronomy.