Electrostatic charging due to cosmic rays and other uncontrollable processes can degrade the performance of components of high precision instrumentation. This has recently been recognized as a significant issue for the ultra-high-precision measurements of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). However, it has been studied over a longer period by other gravitational physicists such as those working on the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), Gravity Probe B, and high precision laboratory experiments. This award supports a workshop to be held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on July 26 - 27, 2007 where LIGO scientists from around the world will meet with scientists working on LISA, Gravity Probe B, and other gravitational precision measurements to share knowledge on electrostatic charging phenomenology and methods for mitigation.
