[2] In 2002 the institute opened a branch at the Universität Hannover with a focus on data analysis and the development and operation of gravitational-wave detectors on Earth and in space.

Central research topics are: All these efforts enable a new kind of astronomy, which began with the first direct detection of gravitational waves on Earth.

They are established to support junior scientists returning to their home country after a research stay at a Max Planck Institute.

[17] The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics has two Max Planck Partner Groups:[18][19] At AEI Hannover and AEI Potsdam, there are two LIGO Scientific Collaboration groups concerned with theory and data analysis of the LIGO and Virgo detectors.

They also develop predictions of gravitational-wave signals used for the search for mergers of black holes and neutron stars and their interpretation.

In early 2018 researchers at AEI Hannover have developed, built, and helped install a squeezed-light source at the Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detector.

[26] During the third joint observation run of the gravitational-wave detectors, it reduced the quantum-mechanical background noise by about third, increasing the expected detection rate of binary neutron star mergers by up to 26%.

[27][28] Researchers at AEI contribute to the planning, development of, and the science case[29] for the Einstein Telescope (ET), a third-generation gravitational-wave detector in Europe.

[31] AEI Potsdam researchers contribute to developing wave-form models for third generation gravitational-wave detectors such as the Einstein Telescope.

[34] During the operations phase, Max Planck and Leibniz Universität researchers in Hannover were partners in the mission's data analysis.

Such research schools are graduate programs run by Max Planck Institutes in partnership with local universities, offering a Ph.D. degree.

[44] The institute offers an annual two-week spring school for 40 international students of mathematics and physics.