| A number of gravitational wave astrophysical
sources are potentially detectable by AURIGA, according to current
theoretical predictions. All concern violent events that occur in our
Universe and which involves neutron stars and black holes: AURIGA has the chance to probe
extreme states of matter, when gravity overcomes in strength all other fundamental interactions. The strongest sources would be the final stages
of inspiral, merger and ringdown of black hole binaries up to total 30 solar masses, the merging of 10 solar mass black hole
and neutron star binaries, the last cycles of inspiral of neutron stars binaries, some
thermomechanical instabilities in hot young neutron stars. Part of these processes are thought to be connected either to the emission of gamma
ray bursts or to the objects which are the immediate remnant of supernova
collapses. Neutrino flashes originating in these processes would be detected concurrently.
The present sensitivity of AURIGA limits its range to events in the
Galaxy center (50kPc away), just as the neutrino flash detectors now in operation. The
rates are thus expected to be very low and actual detections would be at best occasional, but upper limits would be in any case of great
significance. The upgrade in sensitivity and bandwidth
already in progress will extend the range to at least the Local Group of galaxies
(5MPc away) for the above processes; in addition such upgrade will allow to
search for continuous sources, as spinning neutron stars, and to put new limits, by correlating with other
nearby detectors, on a possible g.w. stochastic background.
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