The current research by Kip Thorne, and the students and postdocs in his group, focuses on gravitational waves and their detection, including:
Analyses (both analytical and numerical) of the generation
of gravitational waves by black holes, neutron stars, and white dwarfs. The
goal of these analyses is to deduce information, such as waveforms,
that can be used in
LIGO's and LISA's searches for the waves, and in LIGO's and LISA's extraction of the information
the waves carry.
Development and scoping out of data analysis techniques
to be used in LIGO's and LISA's wave searches and information extraction.
Analyses of noise sources in LIGO's gravitational-wave detectors, and invention and development of
techniques to control this noise.
Invention and analysis of new techniques to be used in advanced
LIGO detectors (both second generation detectors in 2008-- and subsequent generations), with the goal of improving their sensitivities. Of special interest are quantum nondemolition techniques, which permit the detectors to beat the standard quantum limit (circumvent the Heinsenberg uncertainty principle) by large amounts.
Participation in LIGO's ongoing gravitational-wave searches.
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