Early technology developments for gravitational-wave instrumentation and wider applications

这项设备提案旨在加强和保持格拉斯哥以及英国在早期技术研发方面保持领先地位的能力，这对实现未来的科学目标至关重要，无论是核心引力波计划还是更广泛的应用，都是在该领域处于快速增长时期。由我们的综合赠款资助的大部分实验工作是在开发悬浮液以及为电流探测器下一阶段以及下一代设计和测量改进的镜面涂层方面进行的。我们相信，通过购买和开发最先进的材料制备、制造和诊断设备，以加强我们关键技术的开发，我们在该领域的国际竞争力和整体影响力将显著增强。因此，对于我们的悬浮研究，我们要求为二氧化碳激光器提供资金，为将二氧化硅和蓝宝石纤维精密焊接到粘合在测试块侧面的附件提供增强的能力。这是构建引力波探测器中镜面悬挂组件的基本技术，并有更广泛的应用，包括构建便携式原子钟的部件。为了我们对镜面涂层和衬底的研究，我们申请资助无低温恒温器，用于低温研究光吸收和机械损耗的关键特性。低光吸收、低机械损耗的反射镜薄膜在量子技术和原子钟等领域有着广泛的应用。该低温恒温器还将使我们为未来引力波探测器的超低噪声性能而开发的结晶悬浮纤维的低温机械损失研究成为可能。这些研究将包括用这笔赠款所要求的二氧化碳激光器制造的激光焊接部件的测试。最后，低温恒温器将支持我们在引力波探测器的悬浮镜结构中使用的精密粘接技术的研究。为了支持新实验系统的开发和测试，我们要求Moku Professional多仪器系统。该系统包括数据记录器、任意和特定波形发生器、PID控制器、锁定放大器、相位计、频谱分析仪、数字滤波算法和用于激光稳定的专用系统，所有这些都可以通过计算机接口进行控制。这将为诊断测试和开发实验装置提供高度便携的系统，尤其与我们的低温原型干涉仪系统的开发以及用于测量镜面涂层和悬浮光纤的机械损失的致动和传感系统的开发有关。使用这些设备项实现的用于精密测量的传感器的基础研究在相关领域中有广泛的应用，包括在应用光学中(我们对氧化物键合的新研究使高功率固态激光性能的进步成为可能)，在涂料方面(采用GW领域的发展来制造性能更高的光学钟)。我们应该注意到，我们建议的采购都不会引起与UKRI负责任创新框架有关的任何问题。

This equipment proposal is designed to enhance and maintain Glasgow and the UK's ability to stay at the forefront of the R&D of early technology critical in delivering future science goals, both for the core gravitational waves program and wider applications, at a time when the field is in a period of rapid growth. Much of the experimental work funded by our consolidated grant is in the areas of developing suspensions and in designing and measuring improved mirror coatings for the next stages of current detectors as well as for the next generation. We believe that our international competitiveness and overall impact in the field will be significantly enhanced by the purchase and development of state of the art material preparation, fabrication and diagnostic equipment to enhance our development of key technologies.Thus for our suspensions research we are requesting funding for a carbon dioxide laser, providing enhanced capabilities for the precision welding of silica and sapphire fibres to attachments bonded to the sides of test masses. This is an essential technique for the construction of mirror suspension assemblies in gravitational wave detectors, and has wider applications including the construction of components of portable atomic clocks.For our research into mirror coatings and substrates, we are requesting funding for a cryogen-free cryostat for cryogenic studies of the key properties of optical absorption and mechanical loss. Mirror coatings with low optical absorption and low mechanical loss have wider applications in the fields of quantum technology and atomic clocks. This cryostat will also enable studies of the cryogenic mechanical loss of our crystalline suspension fibres being developed for ultra-low noise performance in future gravitational wave detectors. These studies will include tests of laser-welded components fabricated with the CO2 laser requested on this grant. Finally, the cryostat will support our research into precision bonding techniques for use in the construction of the suspended mirrors used in gravitational wave detectors.To support the development and testing of new experimental systems, we request a MOKU Professional multi-instrument system. This system comprises a data logger, arbitrary and specific waveform generators, PID controller, lock-in amplifier, phase meter, spectrum analyser, digital filter algorithms and a dedicated system for laser stabilisation, all controllable through a computer interface. This will provide a highly portable system for diagnostic testing and developing experimental setups, with particular relevance for the development of our cryogenic prototype interferometer system and for the development of actuation and sensing systems for measuring the mechanical loss of mirror coatings and suspension fibres.The basic R&D in sensors for precision measurement enabled using these equipment items has wide-ranging applications in related fields including in applied optics (where our novel research on oxide bonding has enabled advances in high-power solid-state laser performance), and in coatings (where developments driven by the GW field are being adopted to created optical clocks of improved performance).We should note that none of our proposed purchases raises any issues with respect to the UKRI Framework for Responsible Innovation.