Gravitational Wave Astronomy and Theory

该奖项支持威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校LIGO科学合作(UWMLSC)小组的研究活动。该项目的中心主题是从引力波观测中提取天体物理信息。在广泛专业知识的基础上，该小组将从事涉及引力波天文学所有方面的具体活动。该奖项将通过将引力物理、天体物理学和网格计算方面的专业知识集中在引力波数据分析挑战上来促进协同，这些挑战是LIGO科学成功的关键途径。引力波是爱因斯坦广义相对论的基本预测。然而，在该理论提出近100年后，这些波一直没有被直接探测到。最近，来自美国和世界各地的科学家建造了像LIGO这样非常灵敏的探测器，准备进行第一次探测。随着这些仪器现已投入使用，挑战是深入挖掘它们的数据，以找到来自天体物理源的引力波的印记，如黑洞、中子星和宇宙开始时的信号。第一次探测将开启科学发现的新纪元：引力波天文学时代。这项工作将对LIGO数据分析工作的许多关键路径部分作出重大贡献，这将使首次探测到引力波和由此获得的丰富天体物理信息成为可能。该奖项还支持对高能引力辐射源的性质的研究，这将为爱因斯坦引力理论的性质提供有价值的见解。研究生在新兴的引力波科学领域接受有价值的培训。

This award supports the research activities of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee LIGO Scientific Collaboration (UWMLSC) group. The central theme of the project is the extraction of astrophysical information from gravitational-wave observations. Building on broad expertise, the group will engage in specific activities spanning all aspects of gravitational-wave astronomy. The award will foster synergy by focusing expertise in gravitational physics, astrophysics, and grid-computing on gravitational-wave data analysis challenges that are on the critical path to the scientific success of LIGO.Gravitational waves are a fundamental prediction of Einstein's theory of general relativity. Yet almost 100 years after the theory was put forward these waves have eluded direct detection. Having recently constructed exquisitely sensitive detectors, such as LIGO, scientists from the United States and around the world are poised to make the first detection. With these instruments now operational, the challenge is to dig deep into their data to find the imprint of gravitational waves from astrophysical sources, such as black holes, neutron stars, and signals from the beginning of the universe. The first detection will usher in a new era of scientific discovery: the era of gravitational-wave astronomy. This work will make a significant contribution to many critical-path components of the LIGO data analysis effort, which will enable the first detection of gravitational waves and the wealth of astrophysical information thereby garnered. This award also supports research into the nature of highly energetic astrophysical sources of gravitational radiation which will provide valuable insight into the nature of Einstein's theory of gravity. Graduate students receive valuable training in the emerging field of gravitational wave science.