Gravitational Wave International Committee
Encyclopedia
The Gravitational Wave International Committee (or GWIC) is a panel of experts and senior members from the gravitational wave detection
community that promotes cooperation and collaboration between the gravitational wave
detector projects and provides direction and advice on the future development of the field.
Conference series on Gravitational Waves is
coordinated by GWIC as the cornerstone conference for the
Gravitational Wave Detection community worldwide. These conferences
are held every two years, and move around the world to locations
where gravitational wave research is active.
thesis on any aspect of gravitational waves science. First awarded as a biennial award open to LIGO
Scientific Collaboration members, it is now an annual award open to the broader gravitational wave
science field. A summary article of the research of past winners is found on the 2Physics blog http://www.2physics.com/2010/07/deepest-all-sky-surveys-for-continuous.html.
In 2010, GWIC released statements supporting the expansion of the interferometric detector network through the IndIGO, LIGO
-Australia, and LCGT
projects.
(IUPAP) through its Particle and Nuclear Astrophysics and Gravitation International Committee (PaNAGIC). PaNAGIC was created in 1998, with the aim to support international exchange of ideas and to support the convergence of the international scientific community with respect to large-scale activities on particle and nuclear astrophysics, gravitation and cosmology. It adopted GWIC as a sub-panel specializing in gravitational waves in 1999 https://gwic.ligo.org/meetings/minutes/9907minutes.pdf
GWIC also works with the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation
(ISGRG) in some areas. The main scientific meetings of GWIC (the Amaldi Meeting on Gravitational Waves) and ISGRG (the GRxx series of conferences) were held together in Sydney in 2007 http://www.amaldi7.com/ and will be held together again in Warsaw in 2013. The ISGRG also administers the GWIC Thesis Prize funds. The membership of GWIC includes one representative from ISGRG to ensure communication between the two organizations.
Gravitational wave detector
A gravitational wave detector is any experiment designed to measure gravitational waves, minute distortions of spacetime that are predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity. The existence of gravitational radiation is a prediction of Einstein's general theory of relativity. Gravitational...
community that promotes cooperation and collaboration between the gravitational wave
Gravitational wave
In physics, gravitational waves are theoretical ripples in the curvature of spacetime which propagates as a wave, traveling outward from the source. Predicted to exist by Albert Einstein in 1916 on the basis of his theory of general relativity, gravitational waves theoretically transport energy as...
detector projects and provides direction and advice on the future development of the field.
Amaldi Conferences on Gravitational Waves
The Edoardo AmaldiEdoardo Amaldi
Edoardo Amaldi was an Italian physicist.He was born in Carpaneto Piacentino, son of Ugo Amaldi, professor of mathematics at the University of Padua, and Luisa Basini....
Conference series on Gravitational Waves is
coordinated by GWIC as the cornerstone conference for the
Gravitational Wave Detection community worldwide. These conferences
are held every two years, and move around the world to locations
where gravitational wave research is active.
GWIC Thesis Prize
GWIC awards a prize for an outstanding PhDPHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
thesis on any aspect of gravitational waves science. First awarded as a biennial award open to LIGO
LIGO
LIGO, which stands for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, is a large-scale physics experiment aiming to directly detect gravitational waves. Cofounded in 1992 by Kip Thorne and Ronald Drever of Caltech and Rainer Weiss of MIT, LIGO is a joint project between scientists at MIT,...
Scientific Collaboration members, it is now an annual award open to the broader gravitational wave
Gravitational wave
In physics, gravitational waves are theoretical ripples in the curvature of spacetime which propagates as a wave, traveling outward from the source. Predicted to exist by Albert Einstein in 1916 on the basis of his theory of general relativity, gravitational waves theoretically transport energy as...
science field. A summary article of the research of past winners is found on the 2Physics blog http://www.2physics.com/2010/07/deepest-all-sky-surveys-for-continuous.html.
Roadmap
In June 2010, GWIC released a document detailing a strategic roadmap for the gravitational wave astronomy field for the next 30 years http://gwic.ligo.org/roadmap/Roadmap_100814.pdf. This roadmap sets out recommended priorities for developing current projects and initiating new detectors based on scientific opportunities. The goal of the roadmap is to- serve the international gravitational wave community and its stake-holders as a tool for the development of capabilities and facilities needed to address the exciting scientific opportunities on the intermediate and long-term horizons.
Statements
In order to aid funding agencies to see the significance of proposals (either continuing existing projects or initiating new projects), GWIC may issue statements to indicate international support and consensus among the gravitational wave detection field. Statements or letters are issued if GWIC reaches a strong consensus, and "such statements carry the full backing of the leaders of the projects represented on GWIC http://gwic.ligo.org/statements/."In 2010, GWIC released statements supporting the expansion of the interferometric detector network through the IndIGO, LIGO
LIGO
LIGO, which stands for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, is a large-scale physics experiment aiming to directly detect gravitational waves. Cofounded in 1992 by Kip Thorne and Ronald Drever of Caltech and Rainer Weiss of MIT, LIGO is a joint project between scientists at MIT,...
-Australia, and LCGT
LCGT
The Large Scale Cryogenic Gravitational Wave Telescope is a future project of the gravitational wave studies group at the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research of the University of Tokyo. The ICRR was established in 1976 for cosmic ray studies, and is currently working on TAMA 300...
projects.
Member Projects
GWIC members are representatives from all established gravitational wave detector projects. Including ground- and space-based interferometric detectors, resonant mass detectors, spacecraft Doppler tracking and pulsar timing. As of September 2010, committee consists of 24 members from 19 projects.| Projects Represented |
|---|
| ACIGA ACIGA The Australian Consortium for Interferometric Gravitational Astronomy is a collaboration of Australian research institutions involved in the international gravitational wave research community.The institutions associated with ACIGA are:... |
| ALLEGRO |
| AURIGA |
| Einstein Telescope Einstein Telescope Einstein Telescope or Einstein Observatory, is a future third generation gravitational wave detector, currently being designed by different institutions in the European Union... |
| EXPLORER/NAUTILUS |
| European Pulsar Timing Array European Pulsar Timing Array The European Pulsar Timing Array is a European collaboration to combine five 100-m class radio-telescopes to observe an array of pulsars with the specific goal of detecting gravitational waves... |
| GEO 600 GEO 600 GEO 600 is a gravitational wave detector located near Sarstedt, Germany. This instrument, and its sister interferometric detectors, when operational, are some of the most sensitive gravitational wave detectors ever designed... |
| LIGO, LSC LIGO Scientific Collaboration The LIGO Scientific Collaboration is a collaboration by numerous physics institutes and research groups dedicated to the search for gravitational waves using the detectors LIGO and GEO 600... |
| LISA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna is a planned space mission to detect and accurately measure gravitational waves from astronomical sources. LISA was originally conceived as a joint effort between the United States space agency NASA and the European Space Agency... |
| MiniGRAIL MiniGrail MiniGRAIL is an instrument that is designed to detect gravitational waves. The MiniGRAIL is the first such detector to use a spherical design. It is located at Leiden University in the Netherlands. The project is being managed by the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory... |
| NANOGrav |
| PPTA |
| TAMA TAMA 300 TAMA 300 is a gravitational wave detector located at the Mitaka campus of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. It is a project of the gravitational wave studies group at the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research of the University of Tokyo... /CLIO CLIO CLIO is the Cryogenic Laser Interferometer Observatory, a prototype detector for gravitational waves. It is testing cryogenic mirror technologies for the future Large Cryogenic Gravity Telescope .... /LCGT LCGT The Large Scale Cryogenic Gravitational Wave Telescope is a future project of the gravitational wave studies group at the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research of the University of Tokyo. The ICRR was established in 1976 for cosmic ray studies, and is currently working on TAMA 300... |
| VIRGO Virgo interferometer The Virgo is a gravitational wave detector in Italy, which commenced operations in 2007. It is one of a handful of the world's major experiments working towards the observation of gravitational waves.... |
| Theory Community/ISGRG |
Affiliated Organizations
GWIC is affiliated with the International Union of Pure and Applied PhysicsInternational Union of Pure and Applied Physics
The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics is an international non-governmental organization devoted to the advancement of physics...
(IUPAP) through its Particle and Nuclear Astrophysics and Gravitation International Committee (PaNAGIC). PaNAGIC was created in 1998, with the aim to support international exchange of ideas and to support the convergence of the international scientific community with respect to large-scale activities on particle and nuclear astrophysics, gravitation and cosmology. It adopted GWIC as a sub-panel specializing in gravitational waves in 1999 https://gwic.ligo.org/meetings/minutes/9907minutes.pdf
GWIC also works with the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation
International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation
The International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation is a learned society with the goal to promote research on general relativity and gravitation. To that end, it encourages communication between relativity researchers, in particular by organizing the triennial international GR...
(ISGRG) in some areas. The main scientific meetings of GWIC (the Amaldi Meeting on Gravitational Waves) and ISGRG (the GRxx series of conferences) were held together in Sydney in 2007 http://www.amaldi7.com/ and will be held together again in Warsaw in 2013. The ISGRG also administers the GWIC Thesis Prize funds. The membership of GWIC includes one representative from ISGRG to ensure communication between the two organizations.