CAREER: Detecting gravitational waves using radio pulsars and training the first generation of gravitational wave astronomers

The University Of Texas At Brownsville, Brownsville TX

Investigators

Abstract

CAREER: Detecting Gravitational Waves using Radio Pulsars and Training the First Generation of Gravitational Wave Astronomers ABSTRACT AST 0545837 PI: Frederick Jenet Dr. Frederick Jenet, at the University of Texas at Brownsville, will undertake a program to detect and characterize gravitational waves using observations of radio pulsars, while building a research group at the Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy that will develop the needed techniques to detect them. The purpose of the program is to verify our basic understanding of physics and give us a new tool to study the universe. Dr. Jenet will develop a gravitational wave detector based on pulsar timing techniques, to complement current and proposed ground- and spacecraft-based gravitational wave observatories like LIGO and LISA. Dr. Jenet will also lead the development of the Arecibo Remote Command Center (ARCC 1), to allow high school, undergraduate, and graduate students to work in teams to perform observations of radio pulsars. The students will then use the data both to search for low-frequency gravitational waves and to place constraints on the population of super-massive black hole binary systems. A partnership between the University of Texas at Brownsville, the Australia Telescope National Facility, and European groups will be established to foster the sharing of data and cross-fertilization of ideas, and provide students with the opportunity to work with researchers throughout the world. This award is co-funded by the NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities.