This award supports research in gravitational wave detector and data analysis, and it addresses the priority areas of NSF's "Windows on the Universe" Big Idea. The discovery of gravitational waves from multiple black hole mergers and the spectacular joint observation of electromagnetic and gravitational wave signals from a neutron star merger have firmly established gravitational wave astronomy as an important new field. The goal of this project is to improve on our capability to detect and characterize gravitational signals of all kinds, including those from unexpected and hitherto un-modeled sources. This will be done by improving the signal-agnostic waveform reconstruction techniques developed under predecessor awards, and by developing new techniques to model and mitigate the effects of non-stationary and non-Gaussian instrument noise.
Gravitational wave astronomy is producing revolutionary discoveries that are yielding unique insights into some of the Universe's most exotic phenomena. These discoveries have generated tremendous interest from the public, astronomers and physicists in other fields, and with students of all ages. The research projects supported by this award offer tremendous opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students; the blend of creative activities associated with the development of sophisticated and innovative data analysis techniques, combined with hands on exposure in applying these techniques to complex data sets, will provide excellent training for the next generation of scientists. These skills are transferable and highly sought after in other fields.
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.
