Toward a Cryogenic Interferometer for Gravitational-Wave Detection

该奖项支持未来引力波探测器仪器的开发，并解决了NSF“宇宙之窗”大创意的优先领域。该项目的目标是在引力波（GW）和测量科学方面取得重大飞跃。引力波是观测宇宙的最新方法。它们提供了关于黑洞周围极度扭曲的空间和时间的最佳信息，奇异的中子星，以及在未来十年内，对过去几十亿年宇宙膨胀的独特探测。引力波可以被认为是宇宙电影的音频配乐，人类已经用我们的望远镜观察了很多年。为了测量引力波，科学家们开发了历史上最灵敏的振动测量技术。这里提出的工作旨在超越量子物理和分子振动的通常测量极限，并产生一种新的方法来进行更灵敏的测量。除了提高天体物理学的灵敏度外，这种测量科学的突破还可用于大幅改进手持设备和消费产品中的传感器。引力波探测器提供了关于黑洞周围极度扭曲的时空、中子星中奇异的核物质的最佳信息，并在未来十年内提供了一个独特的高红移宇宙学探测器。目前的LIGO探测器将在几年内接近其设计的热力学和量子力学极限。该项目将开发高精度技术，以将天体物理学范围扩大5倍。为此，布朗热噪声将通过低温学和材料科学的新组合来抑制。量子反作用和压缩光将被用来超越干涉测量的通常量子极限。如此剧烈的灵敏度变化，应该可以将中子星星合并的探测率提高到10颗/天左右，将黑洞合并的探测率提高到30颗/天左右。这一升级后的仪器将能够探测到红移为8的双星黑洞。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

This award supports the development of instrumentation for future gravitational wave detectors and it addresses the priority areas of NSF's "Windows on the Universe" Big Idea. The goal of this project is to make a big leap in gravitational-wave (GW) and measurement science. Gravitational-waves are the newest way to make observations about the universe. They provide the best information about the extremely warped space and time around black holes, exotic neutron stars, and, within the next decade, a unique probe of the expansion of the universe over the last several billion years. Gravitational-waves can be thought of as the audio soundtrack to the movie of the cosmos that humanity has been watching for many years with our telescopes. To measure gravitational-waves, scientists have developed the most sensitive vibration measurement technology in history. The work proposed here aims to push beyond the usual measurement limits of quantum physics and molecular vibrations and produce a novel way of making even more sensitive measurements. In addition to the improvement in astrophysical sensitivity, such measurement science breakthroughs can be used to dramatically improve sensors in hand-held devices and consumer products. Gravitational-wave detectors provide the best information about the extremely warped spacetime around black holes, exotic nuclear matter in neutron stars, and, within the next decade, a unique probe of cosmology at high redshifts. The current LIGO detectors will approach the thermodynamic and quantum mechanical limits of their designs within a few years. This project will develop high precision techniques to extend the astrophysical reach by a factor of 5. To do so, Brownian thermal noise will be suppressed by a novel combination of cryogenics and materials science. Quantum backaction and squeezed light will be exploited to surpass the usual quantum limits of interferometry. Such a dramatic change in the sensitivity should increase the detection rate of binary neutron star mergers to ~10/day and the rate of binary black hole mergers to ~30/day. This upgraded instrument would be able to detect binary black holes out to a redshift of 8.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.