An interactive gravitational-wave detector model for museums and fairs

S.J. Cooper, A.C. Green, H.R. Middleton, C.P.L. Berry, R. Buscicchio, E. Butler, C.J. Collins, C. Gettings, D. Hoyland, A.W. Jones, J.H. Lindon, I. Romero-Shaw, S.P. Stevenson, E.P. Takeva, S. Vinciguerra, A. Vecchio, C.M. Mow-Lowry, A. Freise

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

75 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In 2015, the first observation of gravitational waves marked a breakthrough in astrophysics and in technological research and development. The discovery of a gravitational-wave signal from the collision of two black holes, a billion light-years away, received considerable interest from the media and public. We describe the development of a purpose-built exhibit explaining this new area of research to a general audience. The core element of the exhibit is a working Michelson interferometer: a scaled-down version of the key technology used in gravitational-wave detectors. The Michelson interferometer is integrated into a hands-on exhibit, which allows for user interaction and simulated gravitational-wave observations. An interactive display provides a self-guided explanation of gravitational-wave related topics through video, animation, images, and text. We detail the hardware and software used to create the exhibit, and discuss two installation variants: An independent learning experience in a museum setting (the Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum) and a science-festival with the presence of expert guides (the 2017 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition). We assess audience reception in these two settings, describe the improvements we have made given this information, and discuss future public-engagement projects resulting from this work. The exhibit is found to be effective in communicating the new and unfamiliar field of gravitational-wave research to general audiences. An accompanying website provides parts lists and information for others to build their own version of this exhibit.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)702-712
Number of pages11
JournalAmerican Journal of Physics
Volume89
Issue number7
Early online date21 Jun 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2021

Funding

This project was funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council Small Award (Project No. ST/N005767/1) and the Royal Astronomical Society Public Engagement Grant (2015). The authors are grateful to both the Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum and The Royal Society for their support and advice for the exhibit development and installation. The exhibit videos were produced in collaboration with the communications department of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Birmingham. The authors express their deep gratitude to all those who have helped with this project since its inception, in particular: Steve Brookes and all those in the University of Birmingham mechanical workshop; John Bryant and David Stops for additional technical support; Alejandro Vigna Gómez for his contributions to the exhibit videos; Siyuan Chen and Carl-Johan Haster for useful discussions for the exhibit development, and Julia Dancu and Luke Scantlebury-Smead for conducting the Thinktank survey. The authors thank Laura Trouille and Joey Shapiro Key for their comments on this manuscript; the LIGO Education and Public Outreach working group for their support and for use of multimedia resources, and Sarah Cole, Kris Vogt Veggeberg, and Jayatri Das for useful recommendations for literature on exhibit design. The authors are grateful to the anonymous referees for their feedback. This work was also supported by STFC Grant ST/ N000633/1 and the University of Birmingham. C.P.L.B. is supported by the CIERA Board of Visitors Research Professorship, and NSF Award PHY 1912648. This research is supported by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) (Project No. CE170100004). A.C.G. is supported by NSF Awards PHY 1806461 and PHY 2012021. This work has been assigned LIGO Document No. P2000036.

FundersFunder number
National Science FoundationPHY 1912648
Science and Technology Facilities CouncilST/ N000633/1, ST/N005767/1
Royal Astronomical Society
University of Birmingham
Australian Research CouncilCE170100004, PHY 2012021, PHY 1806461

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'An interactive gravitational-wave detector model for museums and fairs'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this