Instrumentation and Simulation for Advanced LIGO Upgrades and Future Gravitational Wave Detectors

This award supports research in relativity and relativistic astrophysics and it addresses the priority areas of NSF's "Windows on the Universe" Big Idea. The impact of the field of gravitational wave detection in recent years is difficult to overstate. Results from the Advanced LIGO detectors have regularly captured the imagination of the public, making headline news while providing vital new data to enable studies at the forefront of scientific knowledge.

Regular detections of binary black hole systems have allowed scientists to compile a catalog of previously unknowable celestial objects. Precise measurements of the gravitational waveforms from the detected events allow us to probe the details of fundamental theories underpinning our understanding of the universe. The work supported by this award is directly aimed at improving the LIGO detector sensitivity in the future, as well as developing technology for and informing the design of the next generation of gravitational wave detectors.

These goals will have a direct payoff in the form of continued discoveries and better science products. The USA has long been recognized as a leader in the field of gravitational wave astronomy. Continued research to push the boundaries of what is possible with gravitational wave detectors is necessary to maintain this position over the next decades.

The majority of the work supported by this award will be performed by graduate students and undergraduate students, providing them with excellent training opportunities to develop their skills, therefore enriching the future American scientific workforce. The subject of the research is also a very fertile ground for outreach to the wider public, which is one of the best ways to broaden participation in science across society.

This award supports both simulation and experimental project components. The simulation component is aimed at characterizing the low frequency (