CAREER: Detector Technology and Science Education in the Era of Gravitational Wave Astrophysics

职业：引力波天体物理时代的探测器技术和科学教育

• 批准号: 1352511
• 负责人: Stefan Ballmer
• 金额: $ 80万
• 依托单位: Syracuse University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-09-01 至 2020-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1352511&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Detector; Technology; Science; Education

This CAREER award funds research at Syracuse University to support Advanced LIGO's quest to observe the gravitational wave universe. The research will include monitoring Advanced LIGO's data quality and developing hardware for upgrading the detectors. Specifically supported are i) The design and development of adaptive mode-matching for Advanced LIGO's output mode cleaner, enabling the use of non-classical squeezed-vacuum in the detector to improve the observational range. ii) A search for rare detector artifacts and low-level environmental correlations, prone to diminish the scientific return from Advanced LIGO. Einstein's general theory of relativity predicts that violent cosmic events, such as for example colliding neutron stars, lead to tiny distortions of space-time here on earth, measurable as minuscule fluctuations in the distance between suspended optical mirrors. The NSF-funded Advanced LIGO project intends to precisely measure these so-called gravitational waves. Advanced LIGO's sensitivity is limited by the quantization of light, but can be improved by using an additional non-classical light source. Such light sources are however extremely sensitive to optical losses. This award supports the development of adaptive elements in the beam path to guarantee that all the light coming from the interferometer can be detected. Additionally, environmental disturbances have the potential to mimic the tiny distance fluctuations due to gravitational waves. This award supports monitoring Advanced LIGO's data for such disturbances. The first direct observation of gravitational waves will be a scientific break-through echoed in the news media, providing an outreach opportunity. The award supports workshops for high school teachers to bring the excitement of new scientific discoveries in this brand-new field of astronomy to high school class rooms.

这个职业奖资助锡拉丘兹大学的研究，以支持先进的LIGO的追求，观察引力波宇宙。该研究将包括监测Advanced LIGO的数据质量和开发升级探测器的硬件。特别支持的是i）为Advanced LIGO的输出模式清洁器设计和开发自适应模式匹配，使探测器中的非经典压缩真空能够使用，以提高观测范围。ii）寻找稀有的探测器文物和低水平的环境相关性，这可能会减少Advanced LIGO的科学回报。爱因斯坦的广义相对论预测，剧烈的宇宙事件，例如碰撞中子星，会导致地球上时空的微小扭曲，可以通过悬挂的光学镜之间距离的微小波动来测量。NSF资助的Advanced LIGO项目旨在精确测量这些所谓的引力波。先进的LIGO的灵敏度受到光量子化的限制，但可以通过使用额外的非经典光源来提高。然而，这种光源对光损耗极其敏感。该奖项支持在光路中开发自适应元件，以确保可以检测到来自干涉仪的所有光。此外，环境扰动有可能模拟引力波引起的微小距离波动。该奖项支持监测Advanced LIGO的数据以发现此类扰动。 引力波的第一次直接观测将是一个科学突破，在新闻媒体上得到回应，提供了一个推广机会。该奖项支持高中教师的研讨会，将天文学这一全新领域的新科学发现的兴奋带到高中教室。