Cal State Fullerton gravitational-wave researchers are working with a multidisciplinary, international team to identify suitable U.S. locations that could accommodate the next-generation detector to observe the universe.
With a nearly $905,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the researchers are exploring potential sites for Cosmic Explorer, a new gravitational-wave observatory. The facility would include one observatory up to 25 miles long and one 12 miles long, each housing a single L-shaped detector.
“We’re looking for locations with synergies that will allow Cosmic Explorer to achieve its science goals, attract, support and retain a diverse workforce, and align observatory activities with community values,” said Joshua Smith, professor of physics and Dan Black Director of the Nicholas and Lee Begovich Center for Gravitational-Wave Physics and Astronomy.
Smith said the latest funding supports researching promising site locations and community building, hiring a postdoctoral associate to help evaluate potential locations for Cosmic Explorer, equipment and travel costs.
A $211,283 NSF award in 2018 for the “Collaborative Research: The Next Generation of Gravitational Wave Detectors” project supported CSUF’s work for conceptual designs of the next generation of gravitational-wave detectors.
Cosmic Explorer, in the design phase, is an evolution of NSF’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory technology but on a grand scale — larger than LIGO’s two U.S. observatories in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana, combined. The project, with an estimated cost of more than $1 billion, will be built over the next decade.
“The sheer size of Cosmic Explorer will allow it to be 10 times as sensitive as LIGO and see gravitational waves from the edge of the observable universe,” Smith said.
“Cosmic Explorer may discover new types of sources not yet seen by the world’s current observatories in the U.S., Europe and Japan. These discoveries could include isolated spinning neutron stars and what happens after neutron stars merge, which could tell us how nuclear matter behaves in its most dense and extreme state.”
The CSUF researchers are working with colleagues from the University of Arizona, Caltech, University of Minnesota, University of Oregon and Syracuse University to identify observatory locations. The team also includes international collaborators from universities in Australia and Canada. NSF has awarded the broader Cosmic Explorer Project $9 million in funding.
Cosmic Explorer’s Design and Development
Smith is directing the CSUF grant and co-leading the Cosmic Explorer site identification and evaluation project with Kathryne Daniel, an associate professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona.
CSUF’s Geoffrey Lovelace, professor of physics, is applying his computing expertise to develop code that uses national and local geographical data to identify promising locations and cost estimates. Jocelyn Read, professor of physics, is providing guidance and frameworks to determine the impact a possible location may have on Cosmic Explorer’s scientific capabilities.
Smith’s student researchers are involved in assembling and testing measurement equipment, such as seismometers, magnetometers and microphones, to assess possible locations.
“The most exciting part of the project is that I get to apply what I’ve learned in my engineering and physics classes while gaining experience in research,” said Andrew Saenz, a first-generation college student and civil engineering major.
Saenz’s research focuses on ensuring that the new observatory’s location has low environmental noise levels, such as seismic activity and electromagnetic waves.
“Being a part of Cosmic Explorer has allowed our faculty, postdoctoral scholars and students to play a leading role in its conception, design of the instruments and assessment of the observatory’s scientific capabilities,” Smith said.
Smith said a preliminary report characterizing the locations and community relationships will be submitted to NSF in August 2026, with the final report to help NSF select the locations by 2028.
“Our research team has had 14 years of involvement in the field of gravitational waves through the LIGO and Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes collaborations,” Smith said. “Cosmic Explorer will allow CSUF to contribute to exploring the universe using gravitational waves for decades to come.”