Catching a New Wave: Gravitational-wave Astronomy as a Probe of the Universe

该奖项为新生的引力波天体物理学领域的一个新的创新推广项目提供支持。该项目被安排在2009年国际天文年（IYA）和2009年6月在纽约举行的世界科学节（WSF）同时进行。LIGO展览将向参观者传达三个主要概念：LIGO的科学努力是由四百年前伽利略的好奇心驱动的；狂暴的宇宙充斥着引力波，但目前这些现象还完全没有被探索过；探测引力波频谱需要巨大的新型“望远镜”，而这些望远镜的技术正在推动许多科学领域的前沿。LIGO展览将包括以下元素：一个完全互动的激光干涉仪；大型三维LED艺术品；引力波天文学大屏幕多媒体演示；一个互动的“黑洞猎人”电脑游戏。展览元素的设计、整合和实施将与专业的展览设计师合作完成。该奖项由物理部、多学科活动办公室和正式和非正式环境学习研究部共同资助。

This award provides support for a new and innovative outreach project in the nascent field of gravitational-wave astrophysics. The project is timed to coincide with the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009 and the World Science Festival (WSF) in New York City, June 2009. The LIGO exhibit will convey to its visitor three main concepts: the LIGO scientific endeavor is motivated by the same curiosity which motivated Galileo four hundred years ago; the violent Universe is awash with gravitational waves but at the moment these phenomena are entirely unexplored; giant, new \telescopes" are needed to detect the gravitational-wave spectrum and the technology of these telescopes is pushing back the frontiers of many scientific fields. The LIGO exhibit will comprise the following elements: a fully interactive laser interferometer; a large-scale three-dimensional LED artwork; large-screen multimedia presentations on gravitational wave astronomy; an interactive `Black Hole hunter' computer game. The design, integration and implementation of the exhibit elements will be achieved in partnership with professional exhibit designers. This award is cofunded by the Physics Division, the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities, and the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings.