The Stanford Advanced Gravitational Wave Detector Research Program

斯坦福高级引力波探测器研究计划

• 批准号: 0757896
• 负责人: Robert Byer
• 金额: $ 255万
• 依托单位: Stanford University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-08-01 至 2012-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0757896&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Stanford; Advanced; Gravitational; Wave; Detector

This award supports Stanford?s ongoing program on advanced gravitational wave detectors. The research will focus on continuing projects on the development and testing of the Advanced LIGO seismic isolation and control systems and on the investigation of improved sensors for increasing performance of active isolation systems. In addition, research will continue on the use of ultraviolet light to mitigate the buildup of electrostatic charges on Advanced LIGO mirrors and on the evaluation of thermalized optical losses in core optic materials and optical coatings. All these efforts have as their goal the increased performance of Advanced LIGO. Gravitational waves were predicted almost 90 years ago in Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, but they have not yet been detected due to the extreme sensitivity required. Interacting black holes, coalescing compact binary stellar systems, stellar collapses, pulsars and low mass X-ray binaries are all possible sources of gravitational waves, as is the random background of radiation from the early universe. Laser interferometer detectors, which operate by measuring strains in the fabric of space-time that are expected to be produced by gravitational waves, are now becoming operational and may soon give us a first detection. Detectors of higher performance, such as Advanced LIGO, should allow us to develop gravitational wave astronomy as a new window on the Universe. Stanford has a strong, multidisciplinary program in developing the technology for such detectors with participants from many areas of physics and engineering. The program provides training for future scientists and engineers at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, it integrates basic scientific research with scientific education, and includes outreach programs that inform and educate the broader community.

该奖项支持斯坦福大学正在进行的高级重力波探测器计划。这项研究将着重于继续进行有关先进的Ligo地震隔离和控制系统的开发和测试的项目，以及对改进的传感器的调查，以提高主动隔离系统的性能。此外，研究将继续研究使用紫外线来减轻高级LIGO镜子上的静电电荷的积累，并评估核心光学材料和光学涂层中的热光损失。所有这些努力都是他们的目标，即先进的Ligo的表现。大约90年前，在爱因斯坦的一般相对论中预测了引力波，但由于所需的极端敏感性，尚未检测到它们。相互作用的黑洞，紧凑型二进制恒星系统，恒星倒塌，脉冲星和低质量X射线二进制物都是引力波的可能来源，以及早期宇宙的辐射的随机背景。激光干涉仪检测器通过测量时空织物中预期由重力波产生的菌株来运行，该探测器现在已经开始运行，很快可能会给我们带来首次检测。较高性能的探测器，例如高级LIGO，应该使我们能够将重力波天文学发展为宇宙的新窗口。斯坦福大学有一个强大的多学科计划，用于开发来自许多物理和工程领域的参与者的此类探测器的技术。该计划为本科和研究生级别的未来科学家和工程师提供了培训，它将基础科学研究与科学教育相结合，并包括向更广泛社区提供信息和教育的外展计划。