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

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!

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:

National Science Foundation