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WELCOME to the LIGO Visitors Program web site. Included in this section you will find a description of the program and instructions for applying. There is also a description of the selection process, as well as a discussion of the various financial arrangements that may be made.
The present incarnation of the Visitors Program has existed since 1996. From the perspective of both the participants and of the LIGO Laboratory, it has been a success. In the column at right there is a list of the participants, their photos (when available), and a brief description of their accomplishments during their visits. Instructions on how to apply, with an attached application form is also included for your convenience (see Apply button at right).
The LIGO Visitors Program supports visitors to the LIGO Laboratories, at all levels and ranks, who wish to become involved in the science and techniques associated with the field of interferometric gravitational wave detection, while at the same time contributing their accumulated skills and abilities to enhance the performance of the LIGO team. Applications from women and under-represented minorities are particularly welcome.
The LIGO Laboratory Visitors Program is currently oriented towards activities at the LIGO Observatories at Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana. This does not, of course, preclude working at the Caltech or MIT LIGO Laboratories. Lengthy visits (six months to a year) are encouraged, but shorter visits (from one to six months) are possible.
A sub-feature of the Visitors Program is an agreement between the CNRS and the NSF to fund a joint project between VIRGO and LIGO. There has been and will continue to be a mutual exchange of both group leaders and staff members. Inasmuch as the LSC is the scientific arm of LIGO, the larger LSC community is included in these exchanges. The exchanges are split on roughly an equal basis between LSC members and LIGO personnel. Each year, three LIGO or LSC Group Leaders will visit VIRGO for about four days, and four LIGO staff members or LSC members will work at VIRGO for a minimu stay of at least two weeks. Similarly, VIRGO will send its personnel to visit LIGO sites.
The LIGO Visitors Program is supported by the National Science Foundation Grant PHY-0245117