Matthew Benacquista Assoc. Prof. of Phys. B.A. Phys., 1982, Reed College Ph.D. Phys., 1988, Montana State University Prof. of Phys., Montana State University-Billings, 1988-2006 Office: SETB 1.310 Phone: (956) 882-6617 Email: benacquista@phys.utb.edu

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After teaching physics at Montana State University-Billings since 1988, I moved to the University of Texas at Brownsville and joined the Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy in 2006.

My research interest is in relativistic astrophysics and gravitational wave physics. Currently, I am studying a variety of binary systems as sources for the space-based gravitational wave detector (LISA). In particular, I am looking at the disk population of close white dwarf binaries and globular cluster populations of relativistic binaries. I am working with Chris Belczynski and Ashley Ruiter at New Mexico State University to develop a population synthesis model of degenerate binaries in the Galaxy. I am also working with Shane Larson at Weber State University and Brett Taylor at Radford University to explore how LISA observations of this population of binaries can be used to infer properties of the Galactic structure. I have recently worked with Alessandro Mion at the University of Trento studying low mass X-ray binaries as possible sources for resonant bar detectors such as Auriga. I am also studying intermediate mass black holes as sources for ground based gravitational wave interferometers such as LIGO or Virgo. I am the chair of the Task Force on the Astrophysics of Galactic Binaries as part of Working Group 1 of the LISA International Science Team, and a member of the steering committee for the Mock LISA Data Challenge