RUI: Using the Earth as a Gravitational Wave Detector

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

In order to evaluate the ultimate usefulness of the Earth as a gravitational wave detector Professor Boughn will compute the excitation of the quadrupole modes of the Earth by terrestrial mechanisms, the most important of which are earthquakes and atmospheric/ocean pressure loading. This research will primarily involve careful modeling of the latter mechanism and then comparing the results with seismic data taken in earthquake quiet times. The results of this analysis will not only provide an evaluation of the ultimate sensitivity of the Earth to gravitational waves but should also provide interesting geophysical information about excitation mechanisms of the modes of vibration of the Earth.