Compact Optomechanical Seismic Sensors

该奖项支持引力波探测器仪器的研究，并阐述了美国国家科学基金会“宇宙之窗”重大构想的优先领域。该奖项资助了新型紧凑型地震传感技术的开发，该技术可在低压(真空)和低温(低温)等极端条件下对平台上的慢速地震现象进行高度敏感的观测。在这个项目中，将研究灵敏度和带宽参数，以开发与未来引力波观测站(如LIGO Voyager)兼容并可安装在其中的光机械地震传感器。地震传感器用于测量作用在平台上的外部干扰，并提供可用于稳定平台的信号。此外，在该项目中进行的研究将推动技术的发展，使与地震学、大地测量学、振动的精确测量、一般的惯性传感和惯性导航等其他科学和技术领域相关的技术能够进一步发展，在这些领域，高度紧凑的外形因素和高灵敏度可能是有利的。该奖项将支持这一研究小组参加国际LIGO科学合作组织和整个引力波社区的活动；还将为学生提供精密测量和STEM领域的培训，并帮助当地社区在新的引力波天文领域进行教育。该项目旨在为LIGO等地面引力波观测站开发高度紧凑的单片光机械地震传感器，作为当前解决方案的替代方案。LIGO目前使用的商用地震仪与真空或低温环境不太兼容，而且物理上很大-大约15公斤和30升。能够在这些条件下工作的惯性传感器是未来引力波探测器(如LIGO Voyager)所需要的，需要开发，这也是本项目的目标。此外，研究计划设想开发一种光学机械地震传感仪器，作为评估相关传感器参数的测试平台，以指导技术开发并帮助研究其在从10兆赫到略高于10赫兹的低频下的性能。这些结果将勾勒出为下一代引力波观测站开发低温和真空兼容的光学机械地震传感器的途径，并将与许多其他STEM领域相关。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports research in gravitational wave detector instrumentation and it addresses the priority areas of NSF's "Windows on the Universe" Big Idea. This award sponsors the development of novel compact seismic sensing technologies that provide highly sensitive observations of slow seismic phenomena on platforms under extreme conditions such as low pressures (vacuum) and low temperatures (cryogenics). In this project, parameters of sensitivity and bandwidth will be studied to develop optomechanical seismic sensors that are compatible with and can be installed in future gravitational wave observatories, such as LIGO Voyager. Seismic sensors are used to measure external disturbances acting on the platforms and provide signals than can be used to stabilize them. Moreover, the research conducted in this project will advance the development of technologies that enable further advancements relevant to other scientific and technological areas such as seismology, geodesy, precision measurements of vibrations, generally inertial sensing and inertial navigation, where highly compact form factors and high sensitivities can be advantageous. This award will support the participation of this research group in activities of the international LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the gravitational wave community at large; also providing for students to be trained in precision measurements and STEM areas, and helping to educate the local community in the new area of gravitational wave astronomy.This project aims to develop highly compact monolithic optomechanical seismic sensors for ground-based gravitational wave observatories, such as LIGO, as an alternative to current solutions. LIGO currently uses commercial seismometers that are not readily compatible with vacuum or low temperature environments and are physically large - approximately 15 kg and 30 liters. Inertial sensors capable of operating in these conditions are required for future gravitational wave detectors, such as LIGO Voyager, and need to be developed, which is the goal of this project. In addition, the research plan envisions the development of an optomechanical seismic sensing instrument that will serve as a test platform to assess relevant sensor parameters to guide the technology development and help study their performance at low frequencies - from 10 mHz to slightly above 10 Hz. These results will outline the path for the development of cryogenic- and vacuum-compatible optomechanical seismic sensors for future generation gravitational wave observatories and will be relevant to many other STEM areas.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.