Calibration of Advanced LIGO Data

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This award supports the calibration of Advanced LIGO data. Calibration is the essential first step in the analysis of gravitational wave data, and therefore in the LIGO critical path. Current LIGO sensitivities have already surpassed those of Initial LIGO, and the first observing run scheduled for late 2015 is almost a factor of four better than Initial LIGO. A detection of gravitational waves from a binary coalescence in the near future is therefore a distinct possibility. After a period of commissioning and observing runs, Advanced LIGO is expected to observe gravitational waves routinely. These first detections will simultaneously test our understanding of fundamental physics and provide a new means to study the universe.This award supports work to develop and maintain the official Advanced LIGO time-domain calibration pipeline. This pipeline will deliver calibrated data with sub-second latencies to gravitational wave data analysts. The team will generate the digital filters required for the calibration, track changes in the instrument that affect the calibration, work on the development of a zero-latency calibration system, help produce the calibration error budget, automate calibration updates, and increase the robustness of the entire calibration procedure.