The CGWA in the Era of Multimessenger Astronomy

引力波天文学中心(CGWA)于2007年在德克萨斯大学布朗斯维尔分校成立，是美国国家科学基金会科学与技术卓越研究中心(CREST)。二期中心将开创一个新时代，极大地扩大和改善其教育和研究活动。自成立以来，CGWA已经成为激光干涉仪引力波天文台(LIGO)科学合作(LSC)的主要小组成员，LSC是来自13个国家和30多个机构的800名科学家的全球合作，旨在首次直接探测引力波，并将其用作了解宇宙的新窗口。在接下来的五年里，CGWA将参与天文学中经常进行的引力波观测的研究。这个新时代还带来了一种新的多学科方法来研究天体物理现象，称为多信使天文学。CGWA将开展理论和实验研究活动，寻求用光学和射电天文学的独立观测来补充引力波探测。拟议的研究包括：(1)天体物理学，与UTB新的高级射电天文学中心(CARA)合作，力求将引力波观测与电磁观测和天体物理演化理论联系起来；(2)数据分析，重点是改进寻找引力波的方法，然后将其用作电磁观测的触发因素；和(3)探测器仪器，侧重于探测器的各个子系统及其噪声限制性能，目的是为下一代引力波探测器的概念和设计提供科学指导。该中心的观测工作包括对致密双星坍塌产生的疑似引力波进行无线电和光学跟踪。人口模型的目的是建立一个天体物理框架，以了解这种致密双星的形成过程。数据分析子项目利用先进的统计技术来模拟真实的噪声源，并改进对天体物理因素的估计，例如引力波瞬变的天空位置。仪器子项目的重点是研究当前和下一代引力波探测器的子系统。特别是，对某些光学部件的研究，以及对测试质量悬浮液的实验，对于发现当前和未来引力波探测器的局限性至关重要。它们与LIGO和整个科学界的相关性只会因为这样一个事实，即不断增长的引力波探测器网络的最近改进极大地增加了在2015年左右先进探测器上线后不久首次探测到的可能性。广泛的影响：CGWA仪器努力将实现重大的教育影响，该努力让学生参与实验物理研究，并提供引力波探测器子系统的动手培训。CGWA光学和材料科学实验室为UTB的学生提供前所未有的研究体验。由CARA运营的本科生奖学金项目将通过CARA非常成功的阿雷西博远程指挥中心项目为学生提供指导并监督他们的成功。CGWA还将通过向公众提供进入其天文台的途径，继续向社区提供强有力的外展努力。CGWA访客和会议计划将为其他感兴趣的科学家提供宝贵的资源，让他们参与到多信使天文学的新领域。德克萨斯大学布朗斯维尔分校是一所为拉美裔服务的机构，因此CGWA的研究和教育项目将在吸引拉美裔学生进入格兰德河谷STEM学科方面发挥重要作用，格兰德河谷是美国教育和社会服务最匮乏的地区之一。

The Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy (CGWA) was established at The University of Texas at Brownsville in 2007 as a NSF Center of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST). The Phase II Center will initiate a new era, greatly expanding and improving its educational and research activities. Since its creation, the CGWA has become a major group-member of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) Scientific Collaboration (LSC), the world-wide collaboration of 800 scientists from more than 30 institutions and thirteen countries that seeks to make the first direct detection of gravitational waves and use them as a new window onto the universe. The next five years will see the CGWA involved in research in which gravitational-wave observations are routinely conducted in astronomy. This new era is also ushering in a new multi-disciplinary approach to study astrophysical phenomena, called multi-messenger astronomy. The CGWA will pursue theoretical and experimental research activities, which seek to complement gravitational-wave detections with independent observations using optical and radio astronomy. The proposed research consists of: (i) Astrophysics, in collaboration with UTB's new Center for Advanced Radio Astronomy (CARA), that seeks to tie gravitational-wave observations to electromagnetic observations and astrophysical evolutionary theory; (ii) Data Analysis that concentrates on improved methods to search for gravitational waves, which can then be used as triggers for electromagnetic observations; and (iii) Detector Instrumentation that focuses on individual subsystems of the detectors and their noise-limited performance, with the goal to provide scientific guidelines for the concept and design of the next-generation of gravitational-wave detectors.Intellectual Merit:The Astrophysics Subproject supports multi-messenger astronomy by concentrating on the electromagnetic follow-ups of future triggers generated by gravitational-wave detectors such as advanced LIGO. The observational efforts at the Center include radio and optical follow-up of suspected gravitational waves from the collapse of compact binary stars. The population modeling aims at developing an astrophysical framework to understand the process of formation of such compact binary stars. The Data Analysis Subproject utilizes advanced statistical techniques to model realistic noise sources and provide improved estimates of astrophysical factors, such as the sky location of a gravitational-wave transient. The Instrumentation Subproject focuses its research on subsystems of current and next-generation gravitational-wave detectors. In particular, investigations of certain optical components, and experiments with test mass suspensions are crucial for finding the limitations of current and future gravitational wave detectors. Their relevance to LIGO, and to the scientific community in general, is only heightened by the fact that recent improvements in the growing network of gravitational-wave detectors greatly increase the probability of first detections shortly after the advanced detectors come on-line around 2015.Broader Impact:A major educational impact will be realized with the CGWA Instrumentation effort, which involves students in experimental physics research and provides hands-on training in gravitational-wave detector subsystems. The CGWA Optics and Material Science laboratories offer unprecedented research experiences for students at UTB. The scholarship program for undergraduates, run by CARA, will provide mentorship for students and monitor their success through CARA's highly successful Arecibo Remote Command Center Program. The CGWA will also sustain a robust outreach effort to the community by providing access to its astronomical observatory to the general public. The CGWA visitors and conference program will provide a valuable resource for other interested scientists to get involved in the new field of the multi-messenger astronomy. The University of Texas at Brownsville is a Hispanic serving institution and consequently the CGWA's research and educational programs will play a major role in attracting Hispanic students to STEM disciplines in the Rio Grande Valley, one of the most educationally and socially underserved regions of the USA.