Einstein Telescope (ET) is the European project for a gravitational-wave (GW) observatory of third-generation. In this paper we present a comprehensive discussion of its science objectives, providing state-of-the-art predictions for the capabilities of ET in both geometries currently under consideration, a single-site triangular configuration or two L-shaped detectors. We discuss the impact that ET will have on domains as broad and diverse as fundamental physics, cosmology, early Universe, astrophysics of compact objects, physics of matter in extreme conditions, and dynamics of stellar collapse. We discuss how the study of extreme astrophysical events will be enhanced by multi-messenger observations. We highlight the ET synergies with ground-based and space-borne GW observatories, including multi-band investigations of the same sources, improved parameter estimation, and complementary information on astrophysical or cosmological mechanisms obtained combining observations from different frequency bands. We present advancements in waveform modeling dedicated to third-generation observatories, along with open tools developed within the ET Collaboration for assessing the scientific potentials of different detector configurations. We finally discuss the data analysis challenges posed by third-generation observatories, which will enable access to large populations of sources and provide unprecedented precision.

Working within the post-Newtonian (PN) approximation to general relativity, we use the effective field theory (EFT) framework to study the conservative dynamics of the two-body motion at fourth PN order, at fifth order in the Newton constant. This is one of the missing pieces preventing the computation of the full Lagrangian at fourth PN order using EFT methods. We exploit the analogy between diagrams in the EFT gravitational theory and two-point functions in massless gauge theory, to address the calculation of four-loop amplitudes by means of standard multiloop diagrammatic techniques. For those terms which can be directly compared, our result confirms the findings of previous studies, performed using different methods.

Within the framework of the effective field theory approach to the post-Newtonian approximation to general relativity, we report the so-far missing $G^3$ and $G^4$ sectors of the conservative two-body dynamics at fourth perturbative order for nonspinning compact objects. Following the standard procedure, the gravitational interaction is integrated out to obtain a systematic expansion in terms of Feynman graphs. Building on this result and on previously obtained ones, we are able to write the local-in-time regularized Lagrangian at fourth post-Newtonian order, which is in agreement with results previously computed with other methods.

In the context of the two-body problem in general relativity, hereditary terms in the long range gravitational field depend on the history rather than the instantaneous state of the source at retarded time. We compute the next-to leading effects of such hereditary terms, that comprise tail and memory, on the two-body dynamics, within effective field theory methods, including both dissipative and conservative effects. The former confirm known results at 2.5 post-Newtonian order with respect to the leading order in the luminosity function; the conservative part is a new result and is an unavoidable ingredient for a derivation of the conservative two-body dynamics at fifth post-Newtonian order.

We investigate a recently proposed method for measuring the Hubble constant from gravitational wave detections of binary black hole coalescences without electromagnetic counterparts. In the absence of a direct redshift measurement, the missing information on the left-hand side of the Hubble-Lemaître law is provided by the statistical knowledge on the redshift distribution of sources. We assume that source distribution in redshift depends on unknown hyperparameters, modeling our ignorance of the astrophysical binary black hole distribution. With tens of thousands of these “black sirens”—a realistic figure for the third generation detectors Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer—an observational constraint on the value of the Hubble parameter at percent level can be obtained. This method has the advantage of not relying on electromagnetic counterparts, which accompany a very small fraction of gravitational wave detections, nor on often unavailable or incomplete galaxy catalogs.