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Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM

Monday, May 24, 2004 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium

Rainer Weiss

"The LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory): how it works and what it hopes to find"

ABSTRACT -- A world wide effort to detect gravitational waves of astrophysical origin using long baseline laser interferometry is coming into scientific operation. In the United States the LIGO is approaching its initial design strain sensitivity of 10^-21 in the 0.1 to 1 kHz band and has set upper limits on several classes of gravitational wave sources. The talk will describe the basic concepts of the instrument and some of the techniques that have been developed to achieve the required sensitivity. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna), a joint project of NASA and ESA with strong Goddard participation, will open the low frequency (0.0001 to 0.1 Hz) gravitational wave band. LISA and LIGO are complementary and together will enrich the new field of gravitational wave astrophysics.

SPEAKER -- Dr. Rainer Weiss is Professor of Physics, Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has a B.S. and Ph.D from MIT where he was a professor from 1973-2001. His research interests include Experimental Atomic Physics, Atomic Clocks, Laser Physics, Experimental Gravitation, Millimeter and Sub-millimeter Astronomy and Cosmic Background Measurements as is evident by his work on the development of the Atomic Clock, the Balloon program to measure Cosmic Background Radiation, Science Working Group Chairman of the COBE satellite program and the Laser Interferometer Gravitational - Wave Observatory (LIGO). He belongs to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (Fellow), American Physical Society (Fellow), American Astronomical Society, New York Academy of Sciences American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Fellow), National Academy of Sciences (Member), Sigma Xi. His awards and honors include the MIT, Baker Award for Excellence in Teaching (1968), NASA, Achievement Award (Monolithic Bolometers) (1983), NASA/GSFC, Group Achievement Award (COBE) (1990), NASA, Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (COBE) (1991), NASA, Group Achievement Medal (COBE) (1991), National Space Club, Science Award (COBE Team) (1994), John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (2000), Medaille de l'ADION Observatoire de Nice (2003).




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