International Summer Research Program in Gravitational-Wave Physics:
Research Experiences for Undergraduates around the world


NIKHEF
Contact: Andreas Freise
Nikhef is short for the Dutch national institute for subatomic physics and is a research institute comprised of five Dutch universities. About 5 years ago, Nikhef joined Italy and France as a collaborator in the Virgo gravitational wave detector project. Today, Nikhef is responsible for the R&D, production, and final installation of several major interferometer infra-structure upgrades involving the suspension system, linear alignment, wave-front sensing, cryogenic vacuum systems, and the suspension of the input mode cleaner's main optical components. Besides infra-structure development, Nikhef is working on data analysis and gravitational wave source modeling, such as for coalescing binary systems. Nikhef has a strong footing in future gravitational wave detector development, from the Laser Interferometric Space Antenna (LISA) to the 3rd generation ground based laser interferometric gravitational wave detector project called Einstein Telescope.