CANCELED: OSC Colloquium: Paul Fulda, "The Future of Gravitational Wave Detection on Earth and in Space"

Following a decade of unprecedented success through LIGO and Virgo's observations of compact binary coalescences, gravitational wave astronomy is now recognized as a key observational window in our continued efforts to understand the Universe and our place within it. 

Far from resting on their laurels though, the gravitational wave community is forging ahead with major plans for the future. The proposed "ultimate ground-based gravitational wave detector facility" Cosmic Explorer recently received a boost with significant funding from the NSF to proceed with a conceptual design. The space-based gigameter-scale laser interferometer LISA recently passed the Mission Adoption Review by the European Space Agency and will begin construction imminently. 

In this talk I will discuss the key science targets for Cosmic Explorer, and some of the technical challenges it faces. I will include a focus on the optical design of the 40km laser interferometers, which is currently underway as part of a multi-institute collaboration. I will also outline the LISA mission concept, highlighting University of Florida and University of Arizona's roles in validating a key NASA deliverable to the mission: the telescopes that send and receive laser light across the vast distance between the three spacecraft. As we look forward to the 2030's, we can also consider some of the exciting multi-wavelength gravitational wave science that can be done with both instruments operating in concert.