Academic News
The Center for High Energy and High Field Science (CHiP) at National Central University is actively promoting international educational initiatives. CHiP is conducting research on the gravitational wave observation project "LIGO", led by Associate Professor Yuki Inoue, while launching a new educational program.
As part of this effort, the CHiP International Gravitational Wave Winter School was held from February 5 to 15, 2025. This 10-day program brought together students from Taiwan, Japan, and India, fostering international academic exchange. Associate Professor Inoue served as the program director, designing and writing the course materials and personally delivering lectures.
The curriculum covered both theoretical aspects of gravitational wave physics and hands-on training using a small-scale gravitational wave telescope. Designed and developed by Professor Inoue for educational purposes, the telescope features a digital control system similar to those used in LIGO observatories. Its technology is also closely linked to the 2017 Nobel Prize-winning discovery of gravitational waves, with the U.S. LIGO team providing remote operational support.
In addition, Prof. Inoue and LIGO researchers delivered specialized lectures on topics such as gravitational wave telescopes, interferometry and control techniques, black holes and neutron stars, cutting-edge data analysis, and calibration methods.
During the hands-on sessions, students began with optical system alignment before progressing to signal reception, remote control system development using actuators, and the construction of a functional observation system. On the final day, they conducted a short-term gravitational wave search experiment. Although the equipment's sensitivity was not yet high enough to detect predicted gravitational wave signals, the program successfully carried out Taiwan’s first data acquisition and analysis using a gravitational wave observation system—a significant milestone.
The program provided students with a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge gravitational wave science while experiencing the excitement and satisfaction of research. As a platform for nurturing the next generation of scientists, CHiP’s winter school is set to attract even more attention in the future.
