Measuring Attometer-Scale Thermal Fluctuations in Optical Coatings for Applications in Gravitational Wave Detection

测量光学涂层中阿米级的热波动，用于引力波检测

• 批准号: 1705940
• 负责人: Matthew Evans
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-07-01 至 2020-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1705940&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Measuring; Attometer; Scale; Thermal; Fluctuations

With the detection of Gravitational Waves (GW) by the Advanced Laser Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) a new window to the Universe has been opened. These first detections only mark the beginning of a process to make LIGO more sensitive, increasing the detection rate with each step along the way. One of the most important open problems in LIGO noise reduction is related to the coatings of the mirrors used in the interferometer. Advances in precision optical measurement have made it possible to measure the thermal fluctuations of macroscopic materials. Thermal fluctuations in mechanical systems which occur at the atto-meter scale, and are known as "thermal noise", are a limiting noise source in gravitational wave detectors and in the best frequency references. This work will expand the scope of an ongoing experiment at MIT which was used to measure the thermal noise of Advanced LIGO mirrors. The new scope will include characterizing potential replacements for the coatings currently used in gravitational wave detectors.The founding principle of the experiments supported by this award is that the thermal noise experienced by different spatial modes of a resonant cavity is easily separated from most technical noises, making a high signal to noise measurement possible in a tabletop experiment. These studies will test new materials used for ion-beam-sputtered (IBS) coatings, searching for new promising candidates to replace the coatings currently used by LIGO. Research in the area of coating thermal noise will allow us to extend the reach of gravitational wave detectors, make more precise clocks, and probe more deeply the quantum nature of opto-mechanical interactions. Since the proposed work will have a strong influence on the design of future gravitational wave detectors, its urgency cannot be overstated.

随着先进激光干涉引力波天文台 (LIGO) 对引力波 (GW) 的探测，通向宇宙的新窗口已经打开。这些首次探测仅标志着 LIGO 变得更加灵敏的过程的开始，一路上每一步都会提高探测率。 LIGO 降噪中最重要的开放问题之一与干涉仪中使用的反射镜涂层有关。精密光学测量的进步使得测量宏观材料的热波动成为可能。机械系统中发生的阿米级热波动被称为“热噪声”，是引力波探测器和最佳频率参考中的限制噪声源。 这项工作将扩大麻省理工学院正在进行的一项实验的范围，该实验用于测量高级 LIGO 镜子的热噪声。 新的范围将包括表征目前用于引力波探测器的涂层的潜在替代品。该奖项支持的实验的基本原理是，谐振腔的不同空间模式所经历的热噪声很容易与大多数技术噪声分开，从而可以在桌面实验中进行高信噪比测量。这些研究将测试用于离子束溅射 (IBS) 涂层的新材料，寻找新的有前途的候选材料来取代 LIGO 目前使用的涂层。涂层热噪声领域的研究将使我们能够扩大引力波探测器的范围，制造更精确的时钟，并更深入地探索光机械相互作用的量子本质。 由于这项工作将对未来引力波探测器的设计产生重大影响，因此其紧迫性怎么强调都不为过。