Collaborative Research: The Next Generation of Gravitational-Wave Detectors

美国国家科学基金会的先进LIGO和欧洲处女座天文台开创了天文学的新纪元。这些第二代引力波探测器的发现产生了变革性的影响，尽管它们只能观测到宇宙的一小部分。要充分利用引力波天文学的丰富前景，将需要一个新的第三代探测器网络，它可以在最大的尺度上调查宇宙，为天体物理学、宇宙学、基础物理学和核物理学等广泛感兴趣的问题提供答案。该奖项资助美国参与开发第三代引力波网络的国际努力；启动一项协调计划，研究第三代引力波科学目标、网络和探测器配置；并支持美国在规划未来引力波天文学方面的作用。第三代探测器将把人类聆听引力波的宇宙交响乐的能力扩展到宇宙的边缘。该奖项为代表性不足的学生提供了更多机会，并为学生和博士后提供了接触尖端仪器技术、项目规划和管理的机会，为他们担任科学领导职位奠定了良好的基础。实现下一代探测器所需的技术发展将扩大与工业的合作并推动改进。该奖项充分利用了美国国家科学基金会在LIGO上长达数十年的投资，并将美国定位为引力波天文学和物理学未来的领导伙伴。它将资助一项努力：(i)与引力波国际委员会（GWIC）合作，制定和记录国际社会对第三代科学的愿景；（ii）扩展第三代候选探测器设计目录，探索以前国际研究中未包括的配置，如欧洲爱因斯坦望远镜；（iii）对已确定的配置进行参数成本估算；探索成功建立第三代全球网络的途径；(v)定义网络发现潜力的指标作为成本的函数。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The NSF's Advanced LIGO and the European Virgo observatory have established a new era in astronomy. The discoveries made by these second-generation gravitational-wave detectors have had a transformative impact, even though they are only able to observe a small fraction of the Universe. Taking full advantage of the rich promise of gravitational-wave astronomy will require a new network of third-generation detectors that can survey the Universe on its largest scales to provide answers to questions of broad interest in astrophysics, cosmology, fundamental physics, and nuclear physics. This award funds U.S. participation in the international effort to develop a third-generation gravitational-wave network; initiate a coordinated program to study third-generation gravitational-wave science targets, networks, and detector configurations; and support the U.S. role in planning the future of gravitational-wave astronomy. Third-generation detectors will expand humanity's ability to listen to the cosmic symphony of gravitational waves out to the very edge of the Universe. This award broadens opportunities for underrepresented students and provides students and postdocs with exposure to cutting-edge instrument technology, as well as project planning and management opportunities, positioning them well for scientific leadership positions. The technology development required to realize a next-generation detector will expand collaboration with and drive improvements in industry.This award leverages the decades-long investment by the NSF in LIGO and will position the U.S. to be a leadership partner in the future of gravitational-wave astronomy and physics. It will fund an effort to: (i) work with the Gravitational Wave International Committee (GWIC) to develop and document the international community's vision for third-generation science; (ii) extend the catalog of third-generation candidate detector designs, exploring configurations that were not included in previous international studies like the European Einstein Telescope; (iii) produce parametric cost estimates for the configurations that are identified; (iv) explore pathways to achieving a successful third-generation global network; and (v) define metrics for the network's discovery potential as a function of cost.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.