The CGWA in the Era of Multimessenger Astronomy

多信使天文学时代的CGWA

• 批准号: 1242090
• 负责人: Mario Diaz
• 金额: $ 500万
• 依托单位: The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-11-01 至 2020-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1242090&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CGWA; Era; Multimessenger; Astronomy

The Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy (CGWA) was established at The University of Texas at Brownsville in 2007 as a NSF Center of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST). The Phase II Center will initiate a new era, greatly expanding and improving its educational and research activities. Since its creation, the CGWA has become a major group-member of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) Scientific Collaboration (LSC), the world-wide collaboration of 800 scientists from more than 30 institutions and thirteen countries that seeks to make the first direct detection of gravitational waves and use them as a new window onto the universe. The next five years will see the CGWA involved in research in which gravitational-wave observations are routinely conducted in astronomy. This new era is also ushering in a new multi-disciplinary approach to study astrophysical phenomena, called multi-messenger astronomy. The CGWA will pursue theoretical and experimental research activities, which seek to complement gravitational-wave detections with independent observations using optical and radio astronomy. The proposed research consists of: (i) Astrophysics, in collaboration with UTB's new Center for Advanced Radio Astronomy (CARA), that seeks to tie gravitational-wave observations to electromagnetic observations and astrophysical evolutionary theory; (ii) Data Analysis that concentrates on improved methods to search for gravitational waves, which can then be used as triggers for electromagnetic observations; and (iii) Detector Instrumentation that focuses on individual subsystems of the detectors and their noise-limited performance, with the goal to provide scientific guidelines for the concept and design of the next-generation of gravitational-wave detectors.Intellectual Merit:The Astrophysics Subproject supports multi-messenger astronomy by concentrating on the electromagnetic follow-ups of future triggers generated by gravitational-wave detectors such as advanced LIGO. The observational efforts at the Center include radio and optical follow-up of suspected gravitational waves from the collapse of compact binary stars. The population modeling aims at developing an astrophysical framework to understand the process of formation of such compact binary stars. The Data Analysis Subproject utilizes advanced statistical techniques to model realistic noise sources and provide improved estimates of astrophysical factors, such as the sky location of a gravitational-wave transient. The Instrumentation Subproject focuses its research on subsystems of current and next-generation gravitational-wave detectors. In particular, investigations of certain optical components, and experiments with test mass suspensions are crucial for finding the limitations of current and future gravitational wave detectors. Their relevance to LIGO, and to the scientific community in general, is only heightened by the fact that recent improvements in the growing network of gravitational-wave detectors greatly increase the probability of first detections shortly after the advanced detectors come on-line around 2015.Broader Impact:A major educational impact will be realized with the CGWA Instrumentation effort, which involves students in experimental physics research and provides hands-on training in gravitational-wave detector subsystems. The CGWA Optics and Material Science laboratories offer unprecedented research experiences for students at UTB. The scholarship program for undergraduates, run by CARA, will provide mentorship for students and monitor their success through CARA's highly successful Arecibo Remote Command Center Program. The CGWA will also sustain a robust outreach effort to the community by providing access to its astronomical observatory to the general public. The CGWA visitors and conference program will provide a valuable resource for other interested scientists to get involved in the new field of the multi-messenger astronomy. The University of Texas at Brownsville is a Hispanic serving institution and consequently the CGWA's research and educational programs will play a major role in attracting Hispanic students to STEM disciplines in the Rio Grande Valley, one of the most educationally and socially underserved regions of the USA.

引力波天文学中心（CGWA）于2007年在德克萨斯大学布朗斯维尔分校成立，是NSF科学技术卓越研究中心（CREST）。 第二阶段中心将启动一个新时代，大大扩展和改善其教育和研究活动。自创建以来，CGWA已成为激光干涉仪重力引力波动台（Ligo）科学合作（LSC）的主要团体成员，这是来自30多个机构和十三个国家的800名科学家的全球合作，他们旨在首次直接检测引力浪潮，并将其作为新窗口作为新窗口。接下来的五年将使CGWA参与研究，其中常规在天文学中进行重力波观测。这个新时代也在迎来了一种新的多学科方法来研究天体物理现象，称为多通信者天文学。 CGWA将寻求理论和实验研究活动，该活动试图通过使用光学天文学和独立观察来补充重力波检测。拟议的研究包括：（i）与UTB新的高级射电天文学中心（CARA）合作的天体物理学，该中心试图将重力波观测与电磁观测和天体物理进化论联系起来； （ii）数据分析集中于改进的方法以搜索引力波，然后可以用作电磁观测的触发器； （iii）探测器仪器，专注于探测器的各个子系统及其噪声限制的性能，其目标是为下一代引力波检测器的概念和设计提供科学指南。例如高级ligo。该中心的观察工作包括紧凑型二进制恒星崩溃的可疑重力波的无线电和光学随访。人口建模旨在开发一个天体物理框架，以了解这种紧凑的二元恒星的形成过程。数据分析子项目利用先进的统计技术来建模现实的噪声源，并提供了改进的天体物理因子的估计值，例如重力波瞬态的天空位置。仪器子项目将其研究重点放在当前和下一代重力波探测器的子系统上。特别是，对某些光学组件的研究以及测试质量悬浮液的实验对于找到当前和未来重力波探测器的局限性至关重要。它们与Ligo的相关性以及一般的科学界的相关性仅通过以下事实提高：在高级探测器在2015年左右的网络上进行在线影响之后不久，重力波探测器网络的近期改善大大提高了首次检测的可能性。子系统。 CGWA光学和材料科学实验室为UTB的学生提供前所未有的研究经验。由卡拉（Cara）经营的本科生奖学金计划将为学生提供指导，并通过Cara非常成功的Arecibo Remote Command Center计划来监控他们的成功。 CGWA还将通过向公众提供与天文观测的访问权限，向社区维持强大的外展工作。 CGWA访问者和会议计划将为其他有兴趣的科学家提供宝贵的资源，以参与多通信天文学的新领域。德克萨斯大学布朗斯维尔大学是一家西班牙裔服务机构，因此，CGWA的研究和教育计划将在吸引西班牙裔学生来遏制里奥格兰德山谷的学科方面发挥重要作用，里奥格兰德山谷是美国最教育和社会上最不受欢迎的地区之一。