Applications of machine learning to gravitational waves

Gravitational waves, predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916 and first directly observed in 2015, are a powerful window into the universe, and its past. Currently, multiple detectors around the globe are in operation. While the technology has matured to a point where detections are common, there are still unsolved problems. Traditional search algorithms are only optimal under assumptions which do not hold in contemporary detectors. In addition, high data rates and latency requirements can be challenging. In this thesis, we use new methods based on recent advancements in machine learning to tackle these issues. We develop search algorithms competitive with conventional methods in a realistic setting. In doing so, we cover a mock data challenge which we have organized, and which served as a framework to obtain some of these results. Finally, we demonstrate the power of our search algorithms by applying them to data from the second half of LIGO's third observing run. We find that the events targeted by our searches are identified reliably.