Instrument Development and Data Analysis in LIGO

激光干涉仪引力波天文台（LIGO）包括位于路易斯安那州利文斯顿和华盛顿汉福德的4公里基线探测器，以及位于汉福德的另一个2公里探测器。LIGO的工作原理是使用精密的激光干涉测量法来测量地震隔离的测试质量镜的相对运动，这是由于遥远的天体物理事件发出的引力波（GW）产生的极小的力。路易斯安那州立大学（LSU）距离LIGO利文斯顿天文台（LLO）约40公里，作为LIGO科学合作组织的成员，与LIGO有着长期的合作关系。LSU小组积极参与探测器表征小组，校准委员会，以及从合并双星致密系统中寻找引力波的小组，以及对爆发信号的波形独立搜索。在广泛的背景下，资助的活动涉及LSU的教师，博士后，研究生和本科生在LIGO，使LSU的人与经验丰富的LIGO和LIGO科学合作（LSC）科学家一起工作的好处，并与允许重大科学发现的极好可能性的设备。路易斯安那州立大学共享其图书馆，网络设施和研讨会。LIGO人员参加LSU物理和天文系的座谈会和天体物理讨论组，并经常直接与学生合作。LLO与附近的一所研究型大学建立了密切而广泛的关系，预计将通过持续的合作加强这种关系。具体而言，该奖项提供资金用于：（1）表征2009-2010年使用增强型探测器采集的LIGO数据（S6科学运行），监测噪声特性和短瞬变;（2）继续协助探测器校准小组用增强型LIGO校准S6中的数据，制定提高校准精度的方法，并及时监测影响校准的系统变化;（3）搜索S6中的LIGO数据，以获取螺旋压缩物体和未建模的爆发源;（4）通过参与增强型LIGO中光学读出和地震隔离系统的调试和性能研究，为降低高级LIGO升级中的技术风险做出贡献。

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) consists of 4 km baseline detectors in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington, and an additional 2 km detector in Hanford. LIGO's operating principle is to use precision laser interferometry to measure the relative motion of seismically-isolated test mass mirrors due to the extremely small forces from gravitational waves (GWs) emitted by distant astrophysical events. Louisiana State University (LSU) is located approximately 40 km from LIGO Livingston Observatory (LLO) and has a long-term collaborative relationship with LIGO as a member of the LIGO Scientic Collaboration. The LSU group is heavily involved in the Detector Characterization group, the Calibration Committee, and the groups searching for gravitational waves from Coalescing Binary Compact systems, and for waveform-independent searches for Burst signals. In a broad context, the funded activities involve LSU faculty, postdocs, graduate students and undergraduates at LIGO, bringing LSU people the benefits of working with experienced LIGO and LIGO Scientic Collaboration (LSC) scientists, and with apparatus that allows an excellent possibility of signicant scientic discovery. LSU shares its libraries, networking facilities, and workshops. LIGO personnel participate in the LSU Physics and Astronomy departments' colloquia and astrophysics discussion groups, and often work directly with students. This impact on LLO, a close and extensive relationship with a nearby research university, is expected to be strengthened with continued collaboration.Specifically, this award provides funds to(1) Characterize LIGO data to be taken in 2009-2010 with Enhanced Detectors (S6 science run), monitoring the noise characteristics and short transients; (2) Continue contributions to the detector calibration team for the calibration of data in S6 with Enhanced LIGO, developing methods to improve the precision of the calibration and the monitoring of systems changes in time that affect calibration; (3) Search the LIGO data to be taken in S6 for inspiraling compact objects, and for unmodeled burst sources; (4) Contribute to reducing the technological risk in the Advanced LIGO upgrade by participating in the commissioning, and performance studies of optical readout and seismic isolation systems in Enhanced LIGO.