The Stanford Advanced Gravitational Wave Detector Research Program

这个奖支持斯坦福大学？美国正在进行的先进引力波探测器项目。该研究将集中于开发和测试先进LIGO地震隔离和控制系统的持续项目，以及研究改进的传感器，以提高主动隔离系统的性能。此外，将继续研究使用紫外光来减轻先进LIGO反射镜上静电电荷的积累，以及评估核心光学材料和光学涂层的热化光学损耗。所有这些努力的目标都是提高高级LIGO的性能。大约90年前，爱因斯坦的广义相对论就预言了引力波，但由于需要极高的灵敏度，引力波还没有被探测到。相互作用的黑洞，合并紧凑的双星系统，恒星坍塌，脉冲星和低质量x射线双星都是引力波的可能来源，就像早期宇宙随机背景辐射一样。激光干涉仪探测器是通过测量引力波在时空结构中产生的张力来工作的，现在它正在投入使用，可能很快就会给我们带来第一次探测。性能更高的探测器，如先进的LIGO，将使我们能够发展引力波天文学，作为研究宇宙的新窗口。斯坦福大学有一个强大的多学科项目来开发这种探测器的技术，参与者来自物理学和工程学的许多领域。该项目在本科和研究生阶段为未来的科学家和工程师提供培训，它将基础科学研究与科学教育结合起来，并包括向更广泛的社区提供信息和教育的外展项目。

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.