Barry University Assistant Professor of Physics Dr. Bartosz Fornal has received $80,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research in Undergraduate Institutions Program to support research exploring some of the universe’s most fundamental questions.

The two-year award will fund Dr. Fornal’s project, “Probing Gauge Extensions of the Standard Model with Primordial Gravitational Waves.” The research will examine gravitational waves produced during the earliest moments of the universe and explore what these signals could reveal about the fundamental laws of nature.

Gravitational waves were first detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2015. While scientists have observed gravitational waves from events such as black hole and neutron star mergers, other waves produced shortly after the Big Bang may still be traveling through the universe today.

Studying these primordial gravitational waves could offer new insight into the physics of the early universe, including the nature of dark matter and why matter came to dominate over antimatter. The research will also provide opportunities for Barry undergraduate students to take part in the project and gain hands-on experience as they develop skills for future research. Students will have opportunities to present their findings at conferences and meetings of the American Physical Society where they’ll connect and engage in scientific exchange.