U.S.-China Cooperative Research (Physics): Search for Gravitational Radiation

这是斯坦福大学彼得·F·迈克尔森和广州中山大学引力物理研究所何恩科中国合作项目的延续。该项目始于1985年，由美国国家科学基金会和中国国家教委共同发起。引力辐射的直接探测仍然是引力物理研究的最重要目标，也是实验物理中最具挑战性的问题之一。重力波的探测不仅对物理学具有重要意义，而且还将为宇宙打开一扇重要的新天文窗口。共鸣：包括斯坦福大学和中山大学在内的几个机构一直在开发质量探测器。斯坦福大学的探测器已经被用于重合实验，这些实验已经设定了迄今为止引力辐射通量的最低上限。在斯坦福和中山小组过去五年的合作计划下，进行了符合实验，交换了关于大型低温探测器的技术信息，最近进行了先进天线材料和低温隔振技术的研究。在拟议的研究中，研究人员将继续开发改进的探测器技术，主要是在隔振和材料研究领域，开展合作努力，修复和升级斯坦福大学的4K探测器，交流关于共同感兴趣的其他引力物理实验的信息，并尽快找到机会，对引力辐射进行另一次巧合搜索。

This is a continuation of a collaborative project between Peter F. Michelson of Stanford University and He En.ke of the Institute of Gravitational Physics of Zhongshan University in Guangzhou, China. This project, which began in 1985, is sponsored by NSF and the Chinese State Education Commission. The direct detection of gravitational radiation is still the most important goal of research in gravitational physics and one of the most challenging problems in experimental physics. The detection of gravity waves would not only be of fundamental importance to physics, but would open up an important new astronomical window on the universe. Resonant.mass detectors have been under development at several institutions including Stanford and Zhongshan universities. The Stanford detector has been utilized in coincidence experiments that have set the lowest upper limits to date on the flux of gravitational radiation. Under the cooperative program between the Stanford and Zhongshan groups during the past five years, a coincidence experiment has been conducted, technical information about large.scale cryogenic detectors has been exchanged, and most recently, investigations of advanced antenna materials and vibration isolation techniques at low temperatures have been conducted. In the proposed study, the investigators will continue to develop improved detector technology, principally in the areas of vibration isolation and materials studies, undertake a collaborative effort to repair and upgrade the 4 K detector at Stanford, exchange information about other gravitational physics experiments in which there is mutual interest, and at the earliest opportunity, carry out another coincidence search for gravitational radiation.