CAREER: An Integrated Research and Education Program in Gravitational-Wave Physics and Astronomy

Kenyon College, Gambier OH

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports projects in the field of gravitational-wave physics and astronomy through research endeavors with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and an education program that builds a bridge into the field of gravitational-wave physics and astronomy for high school and early-career undergraduate students. Some of the most exciting advancements in our understanding of the universe can come from joint observations of gravitational-wave and electromagnetic signals, as was evident from the detection of merging neutron stars in August of 2017 by the LIGO and Virgo Scientific Collaborations as well as electromagnetic telescopes around the world. This project will enable prompt follow-up of detected gravitational-wave signals with electromagnetic telescopes by increasing the speed and accuracy with which gravitational-wave data from the LIGO detectors can be calibrated and disseminated to astrophysical analyses. In addition to enabling the advancements in science that will be obtained from prompt multi-messenger astronomy, this project will also shepherd the next generation of scientists into this exciting field. The project funds the development and expansion of a Radio and Optical Astronomy Research (ROAR) group that serves as a no-barrier-to-entry research opportunity for high school and early-career undergraduate students at Kenyon College and in the surrounding community. This group has already launched several undergraduates into LIGO-related research projects, and this project will allow that pipeline to expand and improve access to a wide range of students. The first step in gravitational-wave data analysis is the accurate and prompt reconstruction, or calibration, of the detector strain h(t). Currently the calibrated strain data is available to quick-response gravitational-wave searches in approximately 10 seconds with minimal information about the quality of the detector data. This project will propel LIGO data production into the future with very low-latency calibrated strain data, subtraction of noise in the calibrated strain data, and robust information about the quality of the strain data. This transformed data product would then be at the fingertips of quick-response gravitational-wave searches, thereby improving the ability of these searches to both find and quantify gravitational waves in the data. The project incorporates undergraduates and high school students into this cutting-edge field. Undergraduate students will be involved in implementing low-latency methods for removing noise from the strain data and using machine learning algorithms to provide predictions about the probability of loud, transient noise events being present in the data. High school students and early undergraduate students will be initiated into the fields of astronomy and gravitational-wave physics through the Radio and Optical Astronomy Research (ROAR) group at Kenyon College. ROAR students will perform astronomy observations and pulsar candidate identification that will contribute to the field of pulsar timing. This program thereby establishes a research pipeline through which students can engage early in research opportunities and transition into advanced research areas. The ROAR program brings scientific research and education opportunities to high school students in a rural area who would otherwise have little exposure to modern scientific research. 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.