RUI: Adding Spin to a Gravitational Wave Detector Simulator

最近对时空中被称为引力波的微小涟漪的探测促使天文学家考虑新的方法来建造更灵敏的引力波探测器。该项目将开发、测试和共享一个灵活的计算机应用程序，模拟未来探测器可能对引力波最重要的来源--双星星星系统的反应。该模型将探索不同设计的性能，并将在这个令人兴奋的天文研究新领域中交叉检查其他团队的探测器模型。该项目将为处于教育关键时期的大学生提供宝贵的研究经验。它还将为高中、大学和研究生教育者提供有关引力波天文学、探测器物理学和引力磁奇异现象的新教学资源。引力波天文学的曙光和新引力波探测器的前景使确定如何最好地使用这种探测器成为引力研究界的一项关键任务。该项目支持完成一个计算机应用程序，该程序模拟由具有自旋的螺旋状双星星星系统产生的引力波，模拟它们的探测，并估计探测器噪声引入系统特性确定的不确定性。这项工作将包括：（1）完善在模型中加入旋进恒星自旋，（2）根据不同研究小组的模拟对模型进行彻底测试，（3）使用测试模型生成对该领域有价值的结果，以及（4）创建一个门户网站，允许公众访问模型软件，文档和教育材料。该模型的独特之处在于提供了基于时域的分析，包括波形中的高阶谐波，以及对不同检测器设计进行受控比较的自然方式，因此将成为研究界与其他模型进行比较并用于进一步研究的有价值且可访问的工具。该项目还将支持一些本科生的研究经验，并为各级教育工作者提供新的在线教学资源，以教授学生相关的物理主题。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

The recent detection of the tiny ripples in space and time known as gravitational waves has prompted astronomers to consider new ways to build more sensitive gravitational-wave detectors. This project will develop, test, and share a flexible computer app that simulates how future detectors might react to binary star systems, the most important source of gravitational waves. This model will explore how well different designs perform, and it will cross-check the detector models of other groups in this exciting new area of astronomical research. This project will give valuable research experience to college students at a crucial time in their education. It will also give high school, college, and graduate-level educators new teaching resources on gravitational-wave astronomy, detector physics, and the strange phenomenon of gravitomagnetism.The dawning of gravitational wave astronomy and the prospect of new gravitational wave detectors have made determining how to best use such detectors a critical task for the gravity research community. This project supports completion of a computer application that models the gravitational waves generated by inspiraling binary star systems with spin, simulates their detection, and estimates the uncertainties that detector noise introduces into determinations of system characteristics. This work will involve (1) perfecting the addition of precessing stellar spin to the model, (2) thoroughly testing the model against simulations from various research groups, (3) using the tested model to generate results valuable to the field, and (4) creating a web portal granting public access to the model software, documentation, and educational materials. This model is distinctive in providing a time-domain-based analysis that includes higher-order harmonics in the waveform as well as a natural way to perform controlled comparisons of different detector designs, and so will be a valuable and accessible tool for the research community to compare with other models and to use for further research. This project will also support research experiences for a number of undergraduates and delivers new online teaching resources for educators at a variety of levels for teaching students about related physics topics.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.