Project Grant 2513490

The National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences awarded Colorado State University $151,284 on August 15, 2026, to develop advanced mirror coatings for third-generation gravitational-wave detectors, specifically the Cosmic Explorer (CE) instrument planned for the United States.

The Center for Coatings Research (CCR), a collaborative effort between materials science and gravitational-wave physics communities, will engineer mirror coatings capable of meeting the optical and mechanical performance requirements for CE's 40-kilometer detector arms. CE's design calls for 1.5 megawatts of optical power in the detector arms, necessitating coatings with unprecedentedly low optical absorption while controlling thermal noise from internal friction. The project addresses a critical materials-science gap: existing coating technologies cannot simultaneously satisfy CE's strict optical, mechanical, and thermal specifications.

Work is performed at Colorado State University's Fort Collins, Colorado campus under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049). The period of performance runs from August 15, 2026, through July 31, 2028.

Beyond gravitational-wave observation, the research carries broader technological implications for precision measurement, quantum information systems, low-noise interferometry, and exploration of gravitational inverse-square-law deviations. Advances in understanding correlations between optical and mechanical loss mechanisms will benefit semiconductor, laser, and quantum computing industries. The collaboration provides research training opportunities for students across multiple education levels.