Investigations of Thermal Noise in Mirror Coatings and Optic Materials for Advanced LIGO, and Investigations of Higher-Order Statistical Noise in Initial LIGO

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This award supports research into the thermal and mechanical noise of optical materials and coatings considered for use by the next generation of the Laser Interferometric Gravitational wave Observatory (Advanced LIGO). The test masses for Advanced LIGO are to be made from either sapphire or fused silica. Sapphire is mechanically superior under most criteria but suffers from increased loss at low frequencies and, at present, unacceptably high optical absorption. Fused silica has low absorption and has a mechanical loss that, for suitably prepared samples, is below the Advanced LIGO design limits. However, this low mechanical loss has never been seen in large samples. The PI in collaboration with other LIGO scientists will study loss mechanisms in fused silica in an effort to make large, low loss optics.LIGO and Advanced LIGO are designed to search for gravitational waves whose direct detection would open a new window on some of the universe's most violent events such as black hole collisions and supernova explosions. This research forms part of the critical path to the development of Advanced LIGO. Undergraduates will participate in this research.