Launching the Cosmic Explorer Conceptual Design

Gravitational-wave astronomy has opened a new window on the universe. A century after Einstein predicted gravitational waves, the NSF Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) rewarded decades of investment with direct observations of gravitational waves from merging black holes and neutron stars. Cosmic Explorer, a concept for a next-generation gravitational-wave observatory in the United States, is a proposed project to push the reach of gravitational-wave astronomy to the edge of the observable universe. This grant will enable the first steps in the design process for this Cosmic Explorer observatory, by establishing a Cosmic Explorer Project Office and coordinating all the domestic and international partners. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the totality of the Project will be a focus of this grant. The overarching objective of the planned work is to initiate the design process for Cosmic Explorer. The observatory concept will be developed in collaboration with the separately funded work on subsystems and on the site search efforts. By providing a central hub for coordinating all Cosmic Explorer-related activity, this effort will consolidate the conceptual design, and advance it to the point that engineering and design contracts can be issued to solidify the Project Execution Plan. This will provide all CE-related research efforts with centralized resources for communication, coordination, documentation, training, and promotion of equity, diversity and inclusion. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.