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NASA Reveals Prototype Telescope for Gravitational Wave Observatory

NASA has revealed the first look at a full-scale prototype for six telescopes that will enable, in the next decade, the space-based detection of gravitational waves — ripples in space-time caused by merging black holes and other cosmic sources.
Clean room technicians move a prototype LISA telescope.
On May 20, the full-scale Engineering Development Unit Telescope for the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission, still in its shipping frame, was moved within a clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Credit: NASA/Dennis Henry

The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission is led by ESA (European Space Agency) in partnership with NASA to detect gravitational waves by using lasers to measure precise distances — down to picometers, or trillionths of a meter — between a trio of spacecraft distributed in a vast configuration larger than the Sun. Each side of the triangular array will measure nearly 1.6 million miles, or 2.5 million kilometers.

“Twin telescopes aboard each spacecraft will both transmit and receive infrared laser beams to track their companions, and NASA is supplying all six of them to the LISA mission,” said Ryan DeRosa, a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “The prototype, called the Engineering Development Unit Telescope, will guide us as we work toward building the flight hardware.”

A technician inspects a prototype LISA telescope.
The prototype LISA telescope undergoes post-delivery inspection in a darkened NASA Goddard clean room on May 20. The entire telescope is made from an amber-colored glass-ceramic that resists changes in shape over a wide temperature range, and the mirror’s surface is coated in gold. Credit: NASA/Dennis Henry

The Engineering Development Unit Telescope, which was manufactured and assembled by L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York, arrived at Goddard in May. The primary mirror is coated in gold to better reflect the infrared lasers and to reduce heat loss from a surface exposed to cold space since the telescope will operate best when close to room temperature.

The prototype is made entirely from an amber-colored glass-ceramic called Zerodur, manufactured by Schott in Mainz, Germany. The material is widely used for telescope mirrors and other applications requiring high precision because its shape changes very little over a wide range of temperatures.

The LISA mission is slated to launch in the mid-2030s.
Download additional images from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

By Francis Reddy
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Media Contact:
Claire Andreoli
301-286-1940
claire.andreoli(at)nasa.gov
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

Further Information: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/lisa/nasa-reveals-prototype-telescope-for-gravitational-wave-observatory

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LIGO Laboratory Job Opening: Senior Vacuum Engineer at LHO (CEBEX)

Caltech’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) seeks a highly motivated and skilled Senior Vacuum Engineer to join its Cosmic Explorer Beamtube Experiment (CEBEX) team at the Richland, Washington observatory site. LIGO Laboratory is a major National Science Foundation facility dedicated to observing the newly discovered gravitational-wave universe. Jointly operated by the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, LIGO operates the world’s leading gravitational observatories near Richland, WA and Baton Rouge, LA, as well as campus R&D centers in Pasadena, CA and Cambridge, MA.

To learn more about LIGO Laboratory, please visit LIGO.caltech.edu. The Laboratory’s mission supports the young science of gravitational-wave physics and astronomy and includes observatory operations, analysis and dissemination of astrophysical observations, detector science and technology R&D, gravitational-wave astrophysics, and education and public outreach.

LIGO now also leads the effort to expand humanity’s gravitational wave horizon with a next-generation observatory, Cosmic Explorer (CE). Slated for construction in the 2030’s, CE will be ten times the size and reach of LIGO, able to gather signals from the edge of the observable universe.

The selected applicant will join an elite team charged with conceiving, designing, building, and testing advanced technology for the CE vacuum systems, destined to be the largest ultrahigh vacuum systems ever built. We will exercise and develop this technology in a new, purpose-built UHV research facility, the Cosmic Explorer Beamtube Experiment (CEBEX) Laboratory, located at LIGO Hanford.

Current Washington and Louisiana LIGO installations occupy 4 km scale, 10 million-liter UHV systems operating at one trillionth of atmospheric pressure (10-9 millibar), making them the two largest contiguous UHV volumes ever constructed. To further expand sensitivity, a new observatory will be constructed: Cosmic Explorer (CE). This observatory will require beamtubes 10x longer, up to 40 km in length. This will multiply CE’s detectable source range by ten, increasing the accessible volume of space thousandfold. However, UHV structures of this size and volume have never been attempted.

As a key member of the Cosmic Explorer Beamtube Experiment (CEBEX) team, the selectee will contribute to the modeling, trade study, design, fabrication, installation, bakeout and characterization of engineering prototypes and technology demonstrators for CE beamtubes up to 40 km in length. Tests will include industrial fabrication and qualification of a planned 1.2-meter diameter, 120-meter-long demonstration tube, to be erected in the new purpose-built CEBEX laboratory at the LIGO Hanford Observatory (LHO). In parallel, the chosen candidate will take a lead role in forging results of these investigations into a conceptual reference design, construction plan, and parametric cost estimate for CE. These will form the core of our future CE Observatory construction proposal.

This is a Campus Critical position. An employee designated as campus critical is expected to be aware of the campus emergency management plan and to report to Campus as soon as possible in the event of an emergency to assist in campus wide response and recovery efforts.

Essential Job Duties

  • Collaborate with research scientists and engineers in modeling and investigation of UHV techniques, welding and fabrication technology, structural statics and dynamics, thermal processing, surface preparation, residual gas characterization, material surface analysis, and related disciplines.
  • Establish, track, and maintain team workplans, schedules and budgets to accomplish mission objectives.
  • Supervise and mentor junior engineering and technical staff.
  • Plan and oversee specification and procurement of instruments and equipment, including budget development, scheduling, technical requirement definition, competitive vendor selection, contract monitoring, and quality assurance.
  • Responsible for professional communication (written and verbal) internally within the organization and externally to parties outside the organization. This includes liaising and interacting with US and international collaborators, contributors, and industrial partners.
  • Liaising, collaborating, and exchanging information with LIGO Laboratory vacuum teams concerning best practices, organization standards and methods.
  • Serve as a contributing member or chair on Design, Technical, Installation and other internal Review panels as may be required.
  • Initiate and collaborate in writing and delivering research papers and technical presentations.
  • Develop, oversee, and evaluate UHV material preparation and test facilities, including cleaning plants, bake ovens, and outgassing test chambers used to prepare or characterize UHV components and instrumentation.
  • Travel as requested to other LIGO campus and observatory sites, major vendor facilities, and collaborating institutions, both domestic and international.
  • Undertake additional leadership or contributing responsibilities as needs of the program may require.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

  • BS degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical or Systems Engineering, Physics, Material Science, or a related scientific or engineering field.
  • 8 or more years of direct vacuum engineering or research work experience in relevant industrial or scientific applications.
  • Demonstrated proficiency in practical design, analysis, and performance characterization of high- or ultra-high vacuum systems, including structural and safety analysis, pressure measurement, pump and valve selection, surface preparation, bakeout, and seal technology.
  • Thorough knowledge and experience in selection and application of UHV-compatible materials, material processes (welding, surface preparation, etc.)
  • Demonstrated proficiency in application and interpretation of spectra from residual gas analyzers.
  • Experience in application of helium mass‐spectrometer leak detection (MSLD) apparatus.
  • Effective English‐language written and verbal communication skills and habits.
  • Proven ability to mentor junior engineering and technical staff.
  • Level-headed professionalism and excellent interpersonal and team skills.
  • An automobile driver’s license valid in the United States, or ability to obtain one once employment begins.
  • Ability to lift at least 20 pounds.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Master’s or Doctoral graduate degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical or Systems Engineering, Physics, Material Science, or a related scientific or engineering field.
  • Certificate, coursework, or other professional qualification in Project Management.
  • Demonstrated expertise in application of industrial automation to large-scale vacuum systems.
  • Hands-on experience in building, improving, and maintaining high- or ultra- high vacuum systems.
  • Experience related to fluid, cryogen, pressure, flow rate, and gas sensors and instrumentation.
  • Computer-aided design (CAD) experience and demonstrated proficiency (SolidWorks™ preferred).
  • Finite-element analysis (FEA) experience and demonstrated proficiency (e.g., Ansys™, COMSOL™ or equivalent).
  • Gas dynamical modeling expertise (e.g., using MOLFLOW™ or equivalent Monte Carlo codes).

Required Documents

  • Cover Letter summarizing your relevant experience to this role and also your interest in LIGO Lab.
  • Resume.

Please find here full details.

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RAS specialist discussion meeting: “Gravitational wave analysis in the era of machine learning”, January 10th 2025

Invitation to the RAS specialist discussion meeting on “Gravitational wave analysis in the era of machine learning”. The meeting will take place at the Geological Society in London on the 10th of January.

You can find the event page with more information here: https://ras.ac.uk/events-and-meetings/ras-meetings/gravitational-wave-analysis-era-machine-learning.

The meeting will be based on panel-led discussions focusing on the use of machine learning in gravitational wave science. We will focus on topics such as the interpretability of ML-derived results, the robustness of ML models to uncertainties, and the integration of ML algorithms into existing and future GW search and analysis pipelines.

If you would like to present a poster or sparkler talk, please submit your abstract in the form below. You can also use the form to register your interest in the meeting and to receive updates.

Expression of interest form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZJPvdWzLABkpXHv0VcUyr5XzNUhg_OV4P0j-vBXKU-8R3sA/viewform

Registration for the meeting will be via the RAS meeting event page and will open in mid-December.

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EFTs, Gravity, and Fluid Dynamics: Progress, Challenges, and Emerging Opportunities Workshop, December 16-18, Urbana, Illinois

“EFTs, Gravity, and Fluid Dynamics: Progress, Challenges, and Emerging Opportunities Workshop” is an event sponsored by the Physics Department of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and The Gravity Theory Trust, taking place in Urbana, Illinois on December 16 – 18, 2024 in room 190 of the Engineering Sciences Building.

The purpose of this workshop is to bring together experts in Effective Field Theory (EFT), gravity, and fluid dynamics to foster interdisciplinary collaborations.

Sample topics interfacing EFTs, gravity, and fluid dynamics include:

New insights in gravitational thermodynamics and gravitational EFTs.
Causality constraints on gravitational and hydrodynamic EFTs.
The fluid-gravity correspondence.
Mathematical aspects of well-posed formulations of non-ideal fluid dynamics in general relativity.

There is no registration fee but registration is required. The deadline for registration is October 31, 2024.

Workshop Website

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15th Central European Relativity Seminar, January 22-24, 2025, Nijmegen

The Nijmegen meeting will be the 15th seminar of a series initiated at the Erwin Schrödinger Institute in Vienna in 2011. This series of seminars is designed to provide a forum for younger researchers to present their work, and to expand their research horizons, in all topics of research in general relativity. While the main geographical basin of attraction is Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Germany, we welcome researchers from all countries.

Schedule, abstracts and participants
The programme will include keynote lectures by Heino Falcke (Radboud University), Christoph Kehle (MIT), and Erik Verlinde* (Amsterdam). *To be confirmed.

Local information
The meeting will take place at the Faculty of Science of the Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6545 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Meeting Website

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Unlocking Gravity Through Computation, December 9-11, 2024 in Prague

General relativity is a beautiful, but highly complex theory in terms of its field content, invariant structure and the nature of its dynamical equations. Describing gravitational phenomena beyond a weak-field regime and in the absence of global symmetries requires refined computational methods. Progress in understanding black hole properties, binary systems, the early universe, and astrophysical environments depends critically on further developing our computational tool box.

Unlocking Gravity Through Computation will bring together gravity researchers from different backgrounds. We are delighted to be hosting a broad range of keynote speakers working at the forefront of developing and applying numerical approximation and simulation techniques, as well as new analytical methods. We aim for a constructive and interactive meeting, including discussions on the future challenges and opportunities for computation in classical and quantum gravity. We invite the submission of abstracts for contributed talks and posters and encourage especially junior researchers to participate.

Confirmed Invited Speakers

  • Bernd Brügmann, Jena University
  • Bianca Dittrich, Perimeter Institute
  • Jakub Gizbert-Studnicki, Jagiellonian University
  • Eva Hackmann, Bremen University
  • Tanja Hinderer, Utrecht University
  • Sascha Husa, University of the Balearic Islands
  • Agnieszka Janiuk, University of Warsaw
  • Igor Khavkine, Czech Academy of Sciences
  • Benjamin Knorr, Nordita, Stockholm
  • Tomáš Ledvinka, Charles University Prague
  • Jean-Luc Lehners, Max-Planck-Institute for Gravitational Physics
  • Jan Plefka, Humboldt University Berlin
  • Maria J. Rodriguez, Utah State University & Autonomous University of Madrid
  • Roland Steinbauer, Vienna University
  • Agata Trovato, University of Trieste & INFN Trieste
  • Niels Warburton, University College Dublin
  • Toby Wiseman, Imperial College, London

Location and Venue
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic, the historical capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia. The historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Various notable physicists spent part of their career in Prague, including Johannes Kepler, Marcus Marci, Christian Doppler, Ernst Mach and Albert Einstein.The conference will take place close to Prague’s city centre in one of the conference halls of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, built in the mid 19th century.

Conference Website

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3rd Einstein Telescope Annual Meeting: November 12-15, 2024, Warsaw

The 3rd Einstein Telescope Annual Meeting presents an opportunity to discuss key aspects of the ET collaboration and design. 
Hosted by the University of Warsaw, the event will be held at the ADN Conference Center, located in the heart of the Polish capital

The meeting is open to all members of the ET collaboration, beginning on the morning of Tuesday, November 12, and concluding on Thursday, November 14, in the evening.

In addition to the main meeting from November 12-14 (Tuesday – Thursday), several satellite meetings are planned for November 15 (Friday):

  • ET-PP WP2/WP3 Joint Workshop
  • Materials for Advanced Detectors 2024 (MAD24)
  • Laser Noise Requirements for ET

Participants can join all sessions online via Zoom. Zoom links will be provided as attachments in the session timetable.

Social events:

  • Early Career Researchers Meeting: November 12
  • Conference Dinner: November 13

Local Organizing Committee:

  • Tomasz Bulik (OA, University of Warsaw)
  • Dorota Rosińska (OA, University of Warsaw)
  • Paweł Ciecieląg (CAMK, PAN)
  • Mariusz Suchenek (CAMK, PAN and OA, University of Warsaw)
  • Yuliya Hoika (OA, University of Warsaw)

Meeting Website

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One year postdoc position in Maastricht on ET mirror development – application deadline 11th Oct

The Gravitational Waves and Fundamental Physics (GWFP) at the University of Maastricht, member of the Nikhef partnership, has a position for a postdoctoral researcher under supervision of Dr. J. Steinlechner.

Job Description
Carrying out research and development on instrumentation for gravitational wave detection. In particular;

  • Development of silicon mirrors for future, cryogenic gravitational-wave detectors; the project includes characterisation and improvement of the silicon mirror substrate material and of the highly-reflective, low-noise coatings.
  • Collaborating with a variety of national and international research partners, including the Einstein Telescope collaboration, the Virgo collaboration, the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, and the ETpathfinder team.
  • This 1.0 FTE position is based in the Department of Gravitational Waves and fundamental Physics, located at Duboisdomein 30, Maastricht.

Requirements

  • PhD degree in physics or a related field
  • Proficient in English language and good communication skills
  • Experience in research relevant for gravitational wave instrumentation
  • You can work independently
  • You are flexible in collaboration with others
  • Experience in the characterization of mirror and coating materials for optical absorption and mechanical loss would be an advantage

What we offer
As Postdoctoral Researcher in mirror development for ET at Faculty of Science & Engineering, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

  • Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale 11 according to the UFO profile Researcher, function level 11 with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from € 4332 to € 5929 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus are applicable.
  • An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1.0 FTE.
  • At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
  • As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
  • Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as ‘acknowledge and appreciate’.

Apply now, no later than 11th October 2024 for this position. The application should include a motivation letter, a CV, and any relevant certificates. Final selection will take place through interviews.

Please find here full details.

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KITP rapid response workshop on the GWB, November 12-22, 2024, Santa Barbara

Gravitational Wave Background Found in Pulsar Timing Arrays: Implications for Merging Supermassive Black Holes

Coordinators: Luke Kelley, Chiara Mingarelli, and Gabi Sato-Polito

The recent observation of nanohertz gravitational waves by Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) has opened a new observational window into the universe. Although the origin of the signal has yet to be determined, the measured gravitational-wave background may be produced by a collection of in-spiralling supermassive black holes (SMBHs) or by physics beyond the standard model. The evidence for this background therefore offers unique insights into the astrophysics of SMBHs and potentially new physics. This Rapid Response Workshop will solely focus on the scientific implications for SMBHs of this first PTA detection bringing together experts on both theory and observations.

Workshop Website

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Two Assistant Professor positions in Gravitational Wave Research or LHCb in Maastricht

The Gravitational Waves and Fundamental Physics (GWFP) at Maastricht University, member of the Nikhef partnership, has two positions open for Assistant Professor researcher(s). We are looking for two talented and enthusiastic assistant professors to complement or strengthen our physics activities in the Gravitational Wave and Fundamental Physics (GWFP) group at Maastricht University. Our research activities are embedded in the Dutch Nikhef collaboration and include Gravitational Wave and Particle Physics research. Application Deadline: October 27th, 2024.

Activities in Gravitational Waves research include research on technologies for current and future gravitational-wave detectors such as Virgo and the Einstein Telescope, with a particular focus on optical instrumentation, advanced interferometry beyond the quantum-noise limit, and material research for optics and optical coatings.

Activities in Particle Physics include flavour physics phenomenology in close collaboration with the LHCb experiment, LHCb physics data analysis on CP violation and rare decays, and algorithm development for data reconstruction in a heterogeneous computing model.

Qualified candidates are invited to apply and to develop their research plans in the context of either gravitational wave research or LHCb research or a combination of these activities’

The positions are 1.0 FTE positions located in the GWFP Department of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Duboisdomein 30, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Requirements

  • You have a PhD degree in physics or a related field
  • You have excellent communication skills in the English language
  • You are collegial and actively searching to collaborate with others
  • You have extensive experience in research relevant for gravitational wave instrumentation / data analysis or particle physics data analysis / phenomenology, proven by your track record as an early career researcher
  • You are eager to develop your own research program that is integrated and aligned with the aspirations of the department and the Nikhef partnership
  • You have evidence or high potential for grant acquisition and are keen to seek and join grant opportunities and collaborations for our group
  • You are an enthusiastic teacher in an academic context, and are willing to participate in and shape the teaching activities of our department
  • You have demonstrated experience in supervising Master and/or PhD theses

What we offer
As Assistant Professor at Faculty of Science & Engineering, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

  • Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale 11 – 12 according to UFO profile Assistant Professor, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €4492,00 and €6986,00 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
  • An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1,0 FTE. Upon proven suitability, the employment contract will be converted to an indefinite contract.
  • At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
  • As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
  • Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as ‘acknowledge and appreciate’.

Please find here full details.