Studying gravitational waves during summer break

Do I want to work in gravitational waves research in the future? Twelve American physics students conducted research over the summer at leading research groups around the world to find out. On August 22 and 23, they gathered at the R&D lab ETpathfinder to share their experiences.

At the ETpathfinder facility in Maastricht, the Netherlands, researchers and students prepare a world-class R&D facility to qualify technology for the future Einstein Telescope. ETpathfinder is already attracting international attention, which is underlined by this summer’s visit by 12 physics students from the United States.

The visit to ETpathfinder was the closing session of the International Research Exchange for Undergraduates in Gravitational Physics,organised by the University of Florida. Participants got to perform two months of research at leading gravitational wave facilities in Europe, Australia and Japan, then met in the Dutch town of Maastricht to share their experiences and discuss what they learned. Along the way, they discovered how ETpathfinder is preparing Europe’s future observatory for gravitational waves.

“We were very grateful for the opportunity to hold the IREU Debriefing Meeting at the ETpathfinder facility at Maastricht University”, says associate professor and co-organiser of the event Paul Fulda at the University of Florida. “The facility provided an inspiring venue for US undergraduate researchers to discuss their summer research, and the tour of the labs was a great way to connect the dots between their work and the bigger picture of next generation gravitational wave detector development.”

Head of the ETpathfinder facility Stefan Hild: “I was honestly happy and proud to receive these students and host their debriefing meeting. It is always a pleasure to welcome eager students, and of course this is a sign that we are seen internationally as an exciting place for gravitational wave research.”