42nd Jim Isenberg Pacific Coast Gravity Meeting

In the tradition of the Pacific Coast Gravity Meetings, students and postdocs are strongly encouraged to participate, and all areas of gravitational physics—classical and quantum, theory and experiment—are welcome. We would like this meeting to serve as a communication medium among all branches of gravitational physics. Because this is a regional meeting, many participants will be from the Western U.S., but all are welcome.

The meeting is free to attend. There is no registration fee. However, we are not able to provide financial assistance to speakers and participants. A prize sponsored by the APS Division of Gravitational Physics (DGRAV) will be awarded for the best student talk.

Program

Below is the schedule of program events. All events will take place in person on the University of California, Riverside campus.

Thursday, February 26

   5:00 PM -     6:00 PM Welcome Reception,  University Lecture Hall (map)

   6:00 PM -     7:00 PM Frontiers of Cosmology Public Lecture,  University Lecture Hall (map)
Featuring APS President Brad Marston, with introductory remarks by 2017 Nobel Laureate Barry Barish

See the event page for more information.

Friday, February 27

   8:30 AM -    9:00 AM Coffee & Continental Breakfast,  HUB 302 North (map)

   9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Session I:  Gravitational-Wave Data Science,  HUB 302 North (map)

Session Chair: Jonathan Richardson

Barry Barish, University of California, Riverside

Welcome and Overview

Ryan Johnson, California State University, Fullerton

Including Gravitational Waveform Uncertainty in Bayesian Inference of Source Properties

Joseph Ribaudo, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Semi-Classical Model of Detector Efficiency in the Context of Bipartite Gravitational-Wave Detection

Sophie Bini, California Institute of Technology

The impact of waveform systematics and Gaussian noise on the interpretation of GW231123

Tousif Islam, University of California, Santa Barbara

Binary black hole recoil kicks: modeling and astrophysical implications

Anjana Ashok, Oregon State University

Long-lived gravitational wave signals in current experiments

Siddharth Soni, University of California, Riverside

Machine Learning and Automation in LIGO Detector Characterization

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM Coffee Break

11:00 AM - 12:20 PM Session II:  Numerical Relativity,  HUB 302 North (map)

Session Chair: Jocelyn Read

Andrew Laeuger, California Institute of Technology

Probing Early Ringdown with the Direct Wave

Iago Mendes, California Institute of Technology

Numerical relativity for LISA sources: binary black hole initial data

Isabella Pretto, California Institute of Technology

Invariant identification of light rings in binary black hole simulations

Sepehr Salamat, University of Arizona

Black Hole Meissner Effect and Singular Extremal Horizons

Vittoria Tommasini, California Institute of Technology

Data-Driven Acceleration of Eccentricity Reduction for Binary Black Hole Simulations

12:20 PM -    1:50 PM Lunch Break

   1:50 PM -    3:20 PM Session III:  Gravity Theory,  HUB 302 North (map)

Session Chair: Preston Jones

Logan Finke, Embry-Riddle Aeroanutical University

Signatures of non-classicality in gravitational waves through bipartite detections

Quentin Bailey, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Tests of spacetime symmetries using an effective field theory framework

Sawyer Star, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Properties of Lorentz-symmetry breaking with a modified scalar field

Arunima  Das, Arizona State University

Coherent and Squeezed States in Gravity

Colin  Weller, California Institute of Technology

Isospectrality and Chiral Symmetry 

Giuseppe Meluccio, Scuola Superiore Meridionale

Pre-geometric Gravity and Emergent Cosmology

Sam Gralla, University of Arizona

Can black holes evaporate past extremality?

   3:20 PM -    3:50 PM Coffee Break

   3:50 PM -    5:30 PM Session IV:  Gravitational-Wave Detector Science,  HUB 302 North (map)

Session Chair: Joshua Smith

Tyler Rosauer, University of California, Riverside

Next-Generation Wavefront Control Technology for Gravitational-Wave Detectors

Pooyan Goodarzi, University of California, Riverside

Impact of Beamsplitter Thermal Distortions on the Sensitivity of High-Power Gravitational-Wave Detectors

Kielo Hoops, California State University, Los Angeles

Characterization of Optical Scatterers in Coating Materials

Alina Sendowsky, California State University, Fullerton

Optical Scatter and Non-Contact Temperature Sensing of Cryogenically Cooled Crystalline Silicon

Maryam Ranjbar, University of California, Riverside

Automated Beam Repositioning for Mitigation of Nonuniform Absorption in Gravitational-Wave Detectors

Cynthia Liang, University of California, Riverside

Mitigating Point Absorber Risk in Gravitational-Wave Detectors

Michael Padilla, University of California, Riverside

Toroidal Mirrors for Enhanced Sensitivity in Current and Next-Generation Gravitational-Wave Detectors

Xuesi Ma, University of California, Riverside

Modeling and Characterizing Scattered Light Noise in the LIGO Detectors

   5:30 PM -    7:30 PM Networking Reception, The Stable (map)

Light refreshments will be served, with drinks available for purchase.

Saturday, February 28

   8:30 AM -    9:00 AM Coffee & Continental Breakfast,  HUB 302 North (map)

   9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Session V:  Gravity Theory,  HUB 302 North (map)

Session Chair: Hai-Bo Yu

Dario Walter-Cardona, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Systems of PDEs in Bumblebee Gravity

Ziyi Li, University of California, Davis

Aspects of Overspinning and Extremal Defects in AdS_3

Anajak Phonchantuek, California State University, Fresno

Nonlinear chiral forms in Sen formulation of superstring theory

Eduardo Guendelman, Ben-Gurion University

Dark Energy and Dark Matter with Dynamical Tension Strings

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM Coffee Break

11:00 AM - 12:20 PM Session VI:  Numerical Relativity,  HUB 302 North (map)

Session Chair: Geoffrey Lovelace

Dongze Sun, California Institute of Technology

Parameter matching between PN and NR via an inner-zone matching for binary black holes

Guido Da Re, California Institute of Technology

Initial data construction for Cauchy-characteristic evolution

Alexandra Macedo, California State University, Fullerton

Writing Tensor Equations in SpECTRE

Jack Kutcka, California State University, Fullerton

Testing SpECTRE’s Outer Boundary Condition and Stability

Taylor Knapp, California Institute of Technology

Full control of the parameters of eccentric and precessing SpEC waveforms

Jose Pineda, California State University, Fullerton

Comparing SpEC and SpECTRE evolutions of the same binary-black-hole initial data

12:20 PM -    1:50 PM Lunch Break

   1:50 PM -    3:20 PM Session VII:  Future Experiments,  HUB 302 North (map)

Session Chair: Siddharth Soni

Amber Romero, California State University, Fullerton

Improving techniques for identifying and evaluating sites for Cosmic Explorer

Cecilia Ochoa, University of California, Riverside

Mirror Design for Optimal Higher Order Mode Placement in Cosmic Explorer

Briana Chen, California Institute of Technology

Using quantum metrology to advance fundamental physics

Mark Nguyen, Northwestern University

Precision Tests of Gravity with Optically Levitated Nanoparticles

Sujoy Modak, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

A Pathway for Probing Weak Quantum-Gravity Deformations Using Present-Day Technology

Spencer Johnson, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Toward Gravitational Redshift Measurements with Quantum States of Light

Douglas Singleton, California State University, Fresno

Temporal Pound-Rebka experiment as gravitational Aharonov-Bohm effect

   3:20 PM -    3:50 PM Coffee Break

   3:50 PM -    5:20 PM Session VIII:  Gravity Theory,  HUB 302 North (map)

Session Chair: Douglas Singleton

Daniel Hooker, California State University, Fresno

Symmetrized operators versus modified integration measure in Generalized Uncertainty Principle models

Zach Ghosoph, Clovis Community College

From Linearized GR to Quantum Gravity via Canonical Quantization

Diego Hidalgo, Clovis Community College

From Quantum Gravity to Linearized General Relativity via Bohr Correspondence Principle

Rose Zanoni, Clovis Community College

Resolving the Cosmological Constant Problem via quantum space-time uncertainty

Nathan Inan, Clovis Community College

Evolution of Quantum Space-Time Uncertainty on Cosmological Scales

Michael Bishop, California State University, Fresno

Minimal lengths in 3D via the Generalized Uncertainty Principle

   5:20 PM -    5:30 PM Announcement of DGRAV Student Prize Winner,  HUB 302 North (map)

Information for Speakers

You will have 10 minutes + 2 minutes for questions. A laser pointer, slide advancer, and lapel microphone will be provided.

Presentations will be shown from a room computer connected to the room's projector system. To minimize the chance of technical issues, we ask that you please upload your talk in PDF format no later than 12 hours before you are scheduled to present. Please upload your talk slides using this upload link. Please add your LAST NAME to the beginning of your file name and limit the size of your PDF file to no more than 500 MB.

Non-PDF Files

We cannot guarantee that the room's computer will be able to display files in other formats. If you need to display your slides in a non-PDF format (e.g., .pptx, .key, .svg) due to embedded movies or animations, please contact jonathan.richardson@ucr.edu in advance of your presentation.

Registration

Please register using this registration form. For full consideration, your application should be received by 11:59 PM on February 18, 2025. Late applications will be considered at the discretion of the organizers.

The Pacific Coast Gravity Meeting has grown to the point where we can no longer promise to accommodate all requests to speak. Priority will be given to talks by graduate students and postdocs.

DGRAV Prize

A prize will be awarded for the best talk by a student at the meeting. If you are eligible (i.e., if you are a graduate or undergraduate student), please be sure to indicate that on the registration form. Detailed eligibility criteria can be found here.

Logistics

Meeting Room

The conference will take place in the Highlander Union Building (HUB) in Room 302 North (see this campus map). Room 302 North is located on the third floor of the building (see this building map).

Parking

Complimentary parking is available for all meeting participants in the "Blue" section of Parking Lot 24 (see this campus map). The parking lot is about a 7-minute walk from the Highlander Union Building.

In order to receive complimentary parking, simply pre-register your vehicle's license plate using this parking registration form. There is no need to pick up a physical parking pass upon arriving to campus.

Airport

If you fly, we recommend flying into the Ontario International Airport (ONT). You can then take an Uber/Lyft to Riverside. The driving time is approximately 20 minutes, depending on traffic.

Other options include the Orange County John Wayne Airport (SNA) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). If flying into LAX, we recommend arriving well before or after the evening rush hour, as the driving time from LAX to Riverside can reach 2-3 hours at peak times.

Lodging

If you plan to stay overnight in Riverside, we recommend the following hotels. All are located in downtown Riverside (3 miles from UC Riverside) and require a car or short Uber/Lyft ride to reach the campus.

Marriott Riverside at the Convention Center

3400 Market St, Riverside, CA 92501

Hyatt Place Riverside/Downtown

3500 Market St, Riverside, CA 92501

Hampton Inn Riverside Downtown

3505 Market St, Riverside, CA 92501

Sightseeing & Attractions

Numerous attractions and hiking trails are located within a short driving distance of UC Riverside's campus.  Here are our top recommendations.

Questions

For questions about meeting logistics, please contact Celina Yamakawa (celina.yamakawa@ucr.edu). For questions about the scientific program, please contact Jonathan Richardson (jonathan.richardson@ucr.edu).