CAREER: Gravitational-Wave Detector Characterization and Science Education in the Advanced LIGO Era

这一职业奖支持PI和他的学生在加州州立大学富勒顿(CSUF)开展的一项综合研究和教育计划，该计划旨在加快激光干涉仪引力波天文台(LIGO)对引力波的直接探测。研究的重点是i)高级LIGO仪器的彻底特性，特别是识别和消除数据中可能掩盖或模仿潜在天体物理信号的噪声伪影，以及ii)测量和分析光学材料的散射光，这对扩展Advanced LIGO的覆盖范围非常重要。该奖项的外展部分将为附近社区大学的学生建立一条途径，让他们了解并成为PI研究小组的一部分。该项目还将通过在本科课程中开发和传播学习引力波科学的教材来提高科学素养。阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦在1916年的广义相对论中预测了引力波。近一个世纪后，我们准备首次直接探测到这些波，并以全新的光谱观察宇宙。LIGO是美国国家科学基金会资助的一个项目，旨在测量来自碰撞黑洞和中子星等天体物理系统的引力波。该奖项支持对LIGO探测器进行彻底表征的研究--这项工作对探测引力波至关重要。此外，它还支持关于光学散射的研究，目的是评估和改进商业光学的质量，这将是扩大未来引力波探测器的天体物理覆盖范围所必需的。这些项目为学生提供了更多参与CSUF尖端研究的机会，CSUF是一家主要为本科生和拉美裔服务的机构。该奖项的教育和推广部分将使学生参与到引力波科学的发现准备领域，其中许多学生来自目前在物理学和天文学中代表性较低的群体。

This CAREER award supports an integrated research and education program by the PI and his students at California State University Fullerton (CSUF) aimed at hastening the direct detection of gravitational waves with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO). The research is focused on i) a thorough characterization of the Advanced LIGO instruments, especially the identification and removal of noise artifacts in the data that could mask or mimic potential astrophysical signals, and ii) measurement and analysis of scattered light from optical materials that are important for extending Advanced LIGO's reach. The outreach component of this award will establish a pathway for students at nearby community colleges to learn about and become part of the PI's research group. This project will also increase science literacy through the development and dissemination of educational materials for learning gravitational-wave science in the undergraduate curriculum.Albert Einstein predicted gravitational waves in his 1916 theory of general relativity. Nearly a century later, we are poised to directly detect these waves for the first time, and to observe the universe in an entirely new spectrum. LIGO is an NSF-funded project to measure gravitational waves from astrophysical systems such as colliding black holes and neutron stars. This award supports research to thoroughly characterize the LIGO detectors - work essential for the detection of gravitational waves. In addition, it supports research on optical scatter aimed at assessing and improving the quality of commercial optics that will be required to extend the astrophysical reach of future gravitational-wave detectors. These projects provide increased opportunities for students to participate in cutting-edge research at CSUF, a primarily undergraduate and Hispanic-serving institution. The education and outreach components of this award will engage students, many from groups currently underrepresented in physics and astronomy, in the discovery-ready field of gravitational-wave science.