The Stanford Advanced Gravitational Wave Detector Research Program

该奖项支持斯坦福大学S正在进行的先进引力波探测器计划。这项研究将侧重于继续开发和测试先进的LIGO地震隔离和控制系统，并研究改进的传感器，以提高主动隔离系统的性能。此外，还将继续研究利用紫外光减少先进的LIGO反射镜上的静电电荷积累，以及评估核心光学材料和光学涂层中的热化光学损失。所有这些努力都以提高Advanced LIGO的性能为目标。近90年前，爱因斯坦的广义相对论预言了引力波，但由于所需的极端敏感性，引力波尚未被探测到。相互作用的黑洞、凝聚的致密双星系统、恒星崩塌、脉冲星和低质量X射线双星都可能是引力波的来源，早期宇宙辐射的随机背景也是如此。激光干涉仪探测器通过测量时空结构中预计由引力波产生的应变来工作，现在正在投入使用，可能很快就会给我们带来第一次探测。更高性能的探测器，如先进的LIGO，应该可以让我们发展引力波天文学，作为了解宇宙的新窗口。斯坦福大学有一个强大的、多学科的项目来开发这类探测器的技术，参与者来自物理和工程的许多领域。该计划为未来的科学家和工程师提供本科生和研究生水平的培训，它将基础科学研究与科学教育相结合，并包括向更广泛的社区提供信息和教育的外联计划。

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.