Low Frequency Isolation Systems for Gravitational Wave Interferometers

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Laser interferometer gravitational wave detectors have their end mirrors mounted on pendulums to isolate them from disturbances. Research will be carried out on methods for very strongly isolating the support points for the pendulums from ground motions at frequencies of 1 to 10 Hz. A preliminary isolation stage is now being constructed, and two additional stages with much lower noise will be designed, built and tested. With all three stages operating together, the final isolated platform will have lower displacement and tilt noise than ever has been achieved before. Then, the final platform will be used to suspend two pendulums so that the effects of thermally generated noise in the pendulum support wires can be measured directly. The goal of this research is to find practical ways of supporting the mirrors in gravitational wave detectors so that the noise in the mirror separation at frequencies of 1 to 10 Hz can be reduced to the unavoidable effects of locally generated gravitational fields from density fluctuations in the ground and the air. This will aid in detecting gravitational wave signals from astronomical sources which do not radiate strongly at higher frequencies. The low frequency isolation methods developed are likely to be useful in industry and in other scientific measurements.