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Expanding Einstein's Vision The discovery of gravitational waves shows why funding for basic research is so vital.

Embrace big, bold efforts.

By France A. Córdova

Feb. 16, 2016, at 11:05 a.m.

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Last week, was one of my most exhilarating as director for the National Science Foundation. On the heels of announcing our 2017 budget request to Congress, I was able to gather researchers that the foundation funds from around the globe to announce that foundationsupported researchers at Caltech, MIT and other U.S. institutions have accomplished something of which Einstein only dreamed. With funding that started in the 1970s, NSF and the National Science Board had the vision to underwrite burgeoning gravitational wave research. A handful of researchers believed they could invent a tool that would indeed detect those gravitational waves Einstein only theorized a century ago. Today, we know they were right. They – along with a league of hundreds of other researchers from around the world – have detected gravitational waves using the Laser Interferometer Gravitationalwave Observatory, known as LIGO. This discovery will illuminate what we can learn about merging black holes, neutron stars and other exotic astronomical phenomena that raise so many questions about the evolution of our universe. [READ: Gravitational Waves Discovered: Top Scientists Respond] As an astrophysicist whose Ph.D. thesis committee at Caltech included black hole theorist Kip Thorne, I have long been excited by the potential this kind of discovery holds. When Galileo first turned a telescope to the sky and realized that he could learn more, he started a wonderful journey. And NSF has been there supporting fundamental science every step of the way so we could see further into our

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Gravitational Waves Validate Einstein and the Need for Basic Research US News

universe – building more sensitive optical, infrared and radio telescopes, constructing a neutrino observatory at the South Pole, and establishing collaborations with academic, intergovernmental and international partners to stretch our imaginations as well as our dollars. Together, we increasingly see a clearer picture of our universe. But the most important part of this lifechanging discovery starts with the early, basic research. It's the kernel of an idea, the equation written hurriedly on a napkin, the "that's strange" moment that sets a researcher in motion. Fundamental science inherently demands curiosity and imagination, and since NSF's inception in 1950, it has stood beside these visionary researchers. Here at NSF, we help lead this research by providing the funding so brilliant scientists can take risks, explore uncharted territory and open new windows to our natural world. We rotate in expert staff to complement a steady pool of scientists who have devoted their careers to public service, and then we augment that expertise with a merit review process that distills 50,000 proposals each year to approximately 12,000 that we fund. Making those decisions requires experience. And vision. Many times that vision is less about predicting where research is specifically destined to lead than seeing the potential for new knowledge that can inform us in ways yet to be determined. That perspective expands the range of our vision so we don't miss out on unforeseen discoveries that propel us, sooner or later, in completely unanticipated directions. NSF funded adaptive optics research to build optical telescopes with much improved "eyesight." Today the underlying principles developed through that research have improved LASIK eye surgery. The same technique used to stabilize LIGO's sensitive laser frequencies also helps to build the semiconductors in our computers and cell phones. And certainly, Einstein could not conceive the idea of a GPS, yet it's his theory of general relativity that ensures its accuracy. Since Einstein's time and in keeping with several of his theories, scientists have developed lasers; they've discovered black holes and neutron stars; and they've created a range of materials that allow for sensors that can see farther, and with more detail. Assembling these kinds of building blocks takes years – even decades. For researchers, finding an organization that can afford to bankroll this kind of creativity early on is a challenge. Yet NSF supported these quests. [RELATED: OpEd: We Need More Scientists in the Public Square] In the earliest days of funding gravitational wave research, we didn't know where this science would take all of us, but bit by bit, it led to an impressive international collaboration and exquisite instruments that can detect gravitational waves coming from 1.3 billion lightyears away that stretch a 4 km laser beam by only 1/10,000th of the diameter of a proton. And from that smallest signal, we glean information that identifies the phenomenon that produced the gravitational signal, and (broadly) the location from whence it came. This is what makes basic science so exciting, and so valuable to our future. It's why we here at NSF take our stewardship in overseeing funding for these endeavors seriously. We are charged to envision the opportunity for discovery in highrisk, fundamental research. It's also why the U.S. continues to be a global leader in advancing knowledge. The detection of gravitational waves is just one of the big, bold efforts we have made to enable true visionaries, leading to new knowledge and perspective we never dreamed possible.

TAGS: National Science Foundation, science, space + More

Dr. France Córdova is the director for the National Science Foundation.

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Gravitational Waves Validate Einstein and the Need for Basic Research US News