| Description |
Gravity is central to many of the puzzles in modern physics such as Dark Energy, Dark Matter, and
the Early Universe. Gravitational-wave astronomy with compact binary mergers, supernovae, and other sources with LIGO,
and precision experiments with Torsion-Balances can provide answers to these mysteries and pave the way to a better
understanding of our universe.
In the first part of my talk, I will describe the LIGO detectors and the unique gravitational-wave science
they are enabling. I will focus on an important subsystem, the active seismic isolation system, which
I helped to improve using ultra-sensitive ground-rotation sensors, developed at the University of Washington (UW).
In the later part of my talk, I will describe some of the Torsion-Balance experiments being done at UW, focusing on
two which can improve the search for short range violations of the inverse square law or spin-coupled forces,
and recently proposed ultra-light bosonic dark matter.
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