EXPERIMENTAL GRAVITATIONAL & COSMOLOGICAL PHYSICS
THE RICHARDSON LAB
Welcome
Our group is developing new technologies aimed at extending the astrophysical reach of gravitational-wave detectors, at the frontier of precision optical measurement. The lab is led by Prof. Jonathan Richardson in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of California, Riverside.
Observing gravitational radiation with higher fidelity will enable precision tests of gravity under the most extreme conditions and probe the nature of black holes. It will also independently measure cosmological expansion to high redshift, probe the interiors of neutron stars, and detect or constrain a variety of dark matter candidates. Ultimately, future space-borne detectors may resolve the Universe to its earliest moments after the Big Bang.
Check out the Research page to learn more about gravitational waves, their detection, and the research being carried out in our lab.
News
June 25, 2024
Congrats to our undergraduate award recipients!
Peter Carney — CNAS Outstanding Achievement Award and Rosemary S. J. Schraer Award
Aiden Wilkin and Peter Carney — R. Stephen White Award for Outstanding Senior Undergraduate
Shane Levin — R. Stephen White Award for Outstanding Third-Year Undergraduate
Cynthia Liang — Brown Williams Award for Outstanding Second-Year Undergraduate
Michael Padilla — Robert L. Wild Family Award for Outstanding First-Year Undergraduate
February 27, 2024
Congratulations to fourth-year Aiden Wilkin, the inaugural recipient of a new Undergraduate Fellowship in Experimental Physics!
September 1, 2023
Richardson receives NSF grant to help design next-generation gravitational wave observatory
April 5, 2023
Congratulations to third-year Peter Carney on receiving a 2023 Goldwater Scholarship!
June 11, 2022
Congrats to our undergraduate award recipients!
Tyler Rosauer — R. Stephen White Award for Outstanding Senior Undergraduate
Peter Carney and Aiden Wilkin — Brown Williams Award for Outstanding Second-Year Undergraduate
September 1, 2021
Richardson & Papalexakis receive NSF AI grant for LIGO detector noise studies
August 17, 2021
Richardson receives NSF grant to develop advanced laser wavefront controls for LIGO
Funding provided by:
