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A special issue of Galaxies (ISSN 2075-4434).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 37380

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hartmut Grote

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Guest Editor

Gravitational Physics Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
Interests: experimental gravitational wave physics; gravitational waves; laser interferometry; dark matter

Prof. Dr. Andreas Freise

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Guest Editor

School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Interests: keywords: gravitational wave detection with GEO 600, Advanced LIGO and Advanced VIRGO, Einstein Telescope, LISA; detector commissioning; advanced interferometry; optical readout design; nurmeric interferometer simulations

Dr. Oliver Jennrich

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Guest Editor

ESTEC - European Space Research and Technology Centre, The European Space Agency (ESA), 2200 AG Noordwijk aan Zee, The Netherlands
Interests: astrophysics; instrumentation; mission design; data analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ground-breaking discoveries of gravitational waves in the last few years have triggered wide interest into this thriving field of research in diverse scientific communities. We are only at the beginning of exploring the rich science opened up by these discoveries, and their promise calls for ever better detectors that enable these measurements with greater sensitivity and across different frequency bands.

This Special Issue entitled Gravitational Wave Detectors, addresses the experimental part of the gravitational wave endeavor, covering all ranges, from ground-based laser-interferometers, that actually made the first detections, to ongoing and future projects on the ground and in space. The goal of this Special Issue is to provide readers with an overview of the existing and planned detectors working from the nano-Hertz to the kilo-Hertz frequency regime, and possibly beyond, including novel details that highlight the key technological developments.

Existing Special Issues on gravitational waves have focused mainly on sources and astrophysics. In the experimental domain, a Special Issue for the pulsar timing methods exists, where updates are invited, and another Special Issue and textbook focus on advanced ground-based laser interferometers. With this Issue, covering all gravitational wave detectors, we intend to fill a gap and bring instrument technology into the focus of the thriving field of gravitational waves.

Prof. Dr. Hartmut Grote
Prof. Dr. Andreas Freise
Dr. Oliver Jennrich
Guest Editors

Galaxies 2022 Best Paper Award (500 CHF)
Winner announcement date: 31 March 2022

We are pleased to announce the “Galaxies Special Issue Best Paper Award for Gravitational Wave Detectors” for research and review articles published in this special issue in Galaxies. One review or research article in the Special Issue will receive this award. The paper will be selected after a thorough evaluation by the journal award committee, and the winner will be announced in 31 March 2022.

You can see details on the link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/galaxies/awards

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Galaxies is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this Special Issue is waived. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

gravitational wave detectors
gravitational waves
laser interferometry
pulsar timing

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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15 pages, 2020 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improvement of the Target Sensitivity in DECIGO by Optimizing Its Parameters for Quantum Noise Including the Effect of Diffraction Loss

by Tomohiro Ishikawa, Shoki Iwaguchi, Yuta Michimura, Masaki Ando, Rika Yamada, Izumi Watanabe, Koji Nagano, Tomotada Akutsu, Kentaro Komori, Mitsuru Musha, Takeo Naito, Taigen Morimoto and Seiji Kawamura

Galaxies 2021, 9(1), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies9010014 - 16 Feb 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3018

Abstract

The DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (DECIGO) is the future Japanese, outer space gravitational wave detector. We previously set the default design parameters to provide a good target sensitivity to detect the primordial gravitational waves (GWs). However, the updated upper limit of the primordial GWs by the Planck observations motivated us toward further optimization of the target sensitivity. Previously, we had not considered optical diffraction loss due to the very long cavity length. In this paper, we optimize various DECIGO parameters by maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the primordial GWs to quantum noise, including the effects of diffraction loss. We evaluated the power spectrum density for one cluster in DECIGO utilizing the quantum noise of one differential Fabry–Perot interferometer. Then we calculated the SNR by correlating two clusters in the same position. We performed the optimization for two cases: the constant mirror-thickness case and the constant mirror-mass case. As a result, we obtained the SNR dependence on the mirror radius, which also determines various DECIGO parameters. This result is the first step toward optimizing the DECIGO design by considering the practical constraints on the mirror dimensions and implementing other noise sources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gravitational Wave Detectors)

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14 pages, 728 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantum Noise in a Fabry-Perot Interferometer Including the Influence of Diffraction Loss of Light

by Shoki Iwaguchi, Tomohiro Ishikawa, Masaki Ando, Yuta Michimura, Kentaro Komori, Koji Nagano, Tomotada Akutsu, Mitsuru Musha, Rika Yamada, Izumi Watanabe, Takeo Naito, Taigen Morimoto and Seiji Kawamura

Galaxies 2021, 9(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies9010009 - 26 Jan 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2811

Abstract

The DECi-hertz Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (DECIGO) is designed to detect gravitational waves at frequencies between 0.1 and 10 Hz. In this frequency band, one of the most important science targets is the detection of primordial gravitational waves. DECIGO plans to use a space interferometer with optical cavities to increase its sensitivity. For evaluating its sensitivity, diffraction of the laser light has to be adequately considered. There are two kinds of diffraction loss: leakage loss outside the mirror and higher-order mode loss. These effects are treated differently inside and outside of the Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity. We estimated them under the conditions that the FP cavity has a relatively high finesse and the higher-order modes do not resonate. As a result, we found that the effects can be represented as a reduction of the effective finesse of the cavity with regard to quantum noise. This result is useful for optimization of the design of DECIGO. This method is also applicable to any FP cavities with a relatively small beam cut and the finesse sufficiently higher than 1. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gravitational Wave Detectors)

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7 pages, 424 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Broadband Signal Recycling Scheme for Approaching the Quantum Limit from Optical Losses

by Teng Zhang, Joe Bentley and Haixing Miao

Galaxies 2021, 9(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies9010003 - 1 Jan 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2707

Abstract

Quantum noise limits the sensitivity of laser interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. Given the state-of-the-art optics, the optical losses define the lower bound of the best possible quantum-limited detector sensitivity. In this work, we come up with a broadband signal recycling scheme which gives a potential solution to approaching this lower bound by converting the signal recycling cavity to be a broadband signal amplifier using an active optomechanical filter. We will show the difference and advantage of such a scheme compared with the previous white light cavity scheme using the optomechanical filter in [Phys.Rev.Lett.115.211104 (2015)]. The drawback is that the new scheme is more susceptible to the thermal noise of the mechanical oscillator. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gravitational Wave Detectors)

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13 pages, 2626 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Frequency Tunable Green Laser Source for Advanced Virgo+ Gravitational Waves Detector

by Camilla De Rossi, Jonathan Brooks, Julia Casanueva Diaz, Antonino Chiummo, Eric Genin, Matthieu Gosselin, Nicolas Leroy, Maddalena Mantovani, Beatrice Montanari, Flavio Nocera and Gabriel Pillant

Galaxies 2020, 8(4), 87; https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8040087 - 9 Dec 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2584

Abstract

After one year of data taking, the observing run three (O3), we are preparing for an improved version of the system, named the Advanced Virgo plus. One of the major upgrades will be the installation of the signal recycling mirror to form an additional optical cavity and improve the sensitivity of the interferometer. This also requires a change in the lock acquisition strategy. In particular, the arms will be locked at the beginning with lasers at a different wavelength from the main one. Such a strategy has already been implemented and tested in LIGO and KAGRA, and in this paper we will present how it has been conceived in Virgo. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gravitational Wave Detectors)

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14 pages, 1427 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fine-Tuning the Optical Design of the Advanced Virgo+ Gravitational-Wave Detector Using Binary-Neutron Star Signals

by Jonathon Baird and Matteo Barsuglia

Galaxies 2020, 8(4), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8040086 - 8 Dec 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2284

Abstract

Advanced Virgo+ is a major upgrade of the Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detector aiming to increase sensitivity in terms of binary neutron star (BNS) range by a factor 3–5 in the next few years. In this work, we present an optimization of the mirror transmittances for the second phase of the project (to be implemented for the O5 observation run) using a random walk algorithm implemented with the advGWINC software. In addition to BNS range, a post merger (PM) SNR is also used as a figure of merit to identify configurations that fine-tune the sensitivity curve, as a function of arm-cavity round trip losses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gravitational Wave Detectors)

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21 pages, 2425 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interferometer Sensing and Control for the Advanced Virgo Experiment in the O3 Scientific Run

by Annalisa Allocca, Diego Bersanetti, Julia Casanueva Diaz, Camilla De Rossi, Maddalena Mantovani, Alain Masserot, Loïc Rolland, Paolo Ruggi, Bas Swinkels, Enzo Nicolas Tapia San Martin, Marco Vardaro and Michal Was

Galaxies 2020, 8(4), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8040085 - 8 Dec 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3668

Abstract

Advanced Virgo is a 2nd-generation laser interferometer based in Cascina (Italy) aimed at the detection of gravitational waves (GW) from astrophysical sources. Together with the two USA-based LIGO interferometers they constitute a network which operates in coincidence. The three detectors observed the sky simultaneously during the last part of the second Observing Run (O2) in August 2017, and this led to two paramount discoveries: the first three-detector observation of gravitational waves emitted from the coalescence of a binary black hole system (GW170814), and the first detection ever of gravitational waves emitted from the coalescence of a binary neutron star system (GW170817). Coincident data taking was re-started for the third Observing Run (O3), which started on 1st April 2019 and lasted almost one year. This paper will describe the new techniques implemented for the longitudinal controls with respect to the ones already in use during O2. Then, it will present an extensive description of the full scheme of the angular controls of the interferometer, focusing on the different control strategies that are in place in the different stages of the lock acquisition procedure, which is the complex sequence of operations by which an uncontrolled, “free” laser interferometer is brought to the final working point, which allows the detector to reach the best sensitivity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gravitational Wave Detectors)

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13 pages, 1107 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Advanced LIGO Laser Systems for O3 and Future Observation Runs

by Nina Bode, Joseph Briggs, Xu Chen, Maik Frede, Peter Fritschel, Michael Fyffe, Eric Gustafson, Matthew Heintze, Peter King, Jian Liu, Jason Oberling, Richard L. Savage, Andrew Spencer and Benno Willke

Galaxies 2020, 8(4), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8040084 - 8 Dec 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4143

Abstract

The advanced LIGO gravitational wave detectors need high power laser sources with excellent beam quality and low-noise behavior. We present a pre-stabilized laser system with 70

W

of output power that was used in the third observing run of the advanced LIGO detectors. [...] Read more.

The advanced LIGO gravitational wave detectors need high power laser sources with excellent beam quality and low-noise behavior. We present a pre-stabilized laser system with 70

W

of output power that was used in the third observing run of the advanced LIGO detectors. Furthermore, the prototype of a 140

W

pre-stabilized laser system for future use in the LIGO observatories is described and characterized. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gravitational Wave Detectors)

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20 pages, 2512 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Hunt for Environmental Noise in Virgo during the Third Observing Run

by Irene Fiori, Federico Paoletti, Maria Concetta Tringali, Kamiel Janssens, Christos Karathanasis, Alexis Menéndez-Vázquez, Alba Romero-Rodríguez, Ryosuke Sugimoto, Tatsuki Washimi, Valerio Boschi, Antonino Chiummo, Marek Cieślar, Rosario De Rosa, Camilla De Rossi, Francesco Di Renzo, Ilaria Nardecchia, Antonio Pasqualetti, Barbara Patricelli, Paolo Ruggi and Neha Singh

Galaxies 2020, 8(4), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8040082 - 7 Dec 2020

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 5279

Abstract

The first twenty years of operation of gravitational-wave interferometers have shown that these detectors are affected by physical disturbances from the surrounding environment. These are seismic, acoustic, or electromagnetic disturbances that are mainly produced by the experiment infrastructure itself. Ambient noise can limit the interferometer sensitivity or potentially generate transients of non-astrophysical origin. Between 1 April 2019 and 27 March 2020, the network of second generation interferometers—LIGO, Virgo and GEO—performed the third joined observing run, named O3, searching for gravitational signals from the deep universe. A thorough investigation has been done on each detector before and during data taking in order to optimize its sensitivity and duty cycle. In this paper, we first revisit typical sources of environmental noise and their coupling paths, and we then describe investigation methods and tools. Finally, we illustrate applications of these methods in the hunt for environmental noise at the Virgo interferometer during the O3 run and its preparation phase. In particular, we highlight investigation techniques that might be useful for the next observing runs and the future generation of terrestrial interferometers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gravitational Wave Detectors)

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15 pages, 3597 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Temperature Control for an Intra-Mirror Etalon in Interferometric Gravitational Wave Detector Fabry–Perot Cavities

by Jonathan Brooks, Maddalena Mantovani, Annalisa Allocca, Julia Casanueva Diaz, Vincenzo Dattilo, Alain Masserot and Paolo Ruggi

Galaxies 2020, 8(4), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8040080 - 1 Dec 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2681

Abstract

The sensitivity of interferometric gravitational wave detectors is optimized, in part, by balanced finesse in the long Fabry–Perot arm cavities. The input test mass mirrors of Advanced Virgo feature parallel faces, which creates an etalon within the substrate, adding variability in the total mirror reflectivity, in order to correct imbalanced finesse due to manufacturing tolerances. Temperature variations in mirror substrate change the optical path length primarily through varying the index of refraction and are tuned to correct for a finesse imbalance of up to 2.8% by a full etalon fringe of 0.257 K. A negative feedback control system was designed to control the mirror temperature by using an electrical resistive heating belt actuator for a heat transfer process modeled as a two-pole plant. A zero controller filter was designed which achieves temperature control within 2.3% of the etalon fringe and recovers to within 10% of the working point within 32 hours after a step input of one etalon fringe. A preliminary unlock condition control designed to compensate when the interferometer unlocks shows that the control remains stable even after a drastic change in the plant due to the absence of the laser heating. Further improvements to the control must also consider the full heat transfer mechanisms by using modern control state space models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gravitational Wave Detectors)

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10 pages, 1224 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

The Squeezed Light Source for the Advanced Virgo Detector in the Observation Run O3

by Moritz Mehmet and Henning Vahlbruch

Galaxies 2020, 8(4), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8040079 - 26 Nov 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3953

Abstract

From 1 April 2019 to 27 March 2020, the Advanced Virgo detector, together with the two Advanced LIGO detectors, conducted the third joint scientific observation run O3, aiming for further detections of gravitational wave signals from astrophysical sources. One of the upgrades to the Virgo detector for O3 was the implementation of the squeezed light technology to improve the detector sensitivity beyond its classical quantum shot noise limit. In this paper, we present a detailed description of the optical setup and performance of the employed squeezed light source. The squeezer was constructed as an independent, stand-alone sub-system operated in air. The generated squeezed states are tailored to exhibit high purity at intermediate squeezing levels in order to significantly reduce the interferometer shot noise level while keeping the correlated enhancement of quantum radiation pressure noise just below the actual remaining technical noise in the Advanced Virgo detector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gravitational Wave Detectors)

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8 pages, 1265 KiB

Open AccessConcept Paper

Modulated Differential Wavefront Sensing: Alignment Scheme for Beams with Large Higher Order Mode Content

by A. Bisht, M. Prijatelj, J. Leong, E. Schreiber, C. Affeldt, M. Brinkmann, S. Doravari, H. Grote, V. Kringel, J. Lough, H. Lueck, K. Strain, M. Weinert, H. Wittel and K. Danzmann

Galaxies 2020, 8(4), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8040081 - 3 Dec 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2483

Abstract

Modulated differential wavefront sensing (MDWS) is an alignment control scheme in the regime of beams with strong higher order transversal modes (HOMs). It is based on the differential wavefront sensing (DWS) technique. MDWS represents a significant upgrade over conventional techniques used in the presence of high HOM content as it allows for higher control bandwidths while eliminating the need of auxiliary alignment modulations, that otherwise cause loss of applied squeezing. The output port of gravitational wave (GW) interferometers (IFO) is one such place where a lot of HOMs are present. These are filtered out by a cavity called the output mode cleaner (OMC), whose alignment gets challenging due to the presence of HOMs. In this paper, we present the first demonstration of the MDWS scheme for aligning the fundamental mode from the IFO to the OMC at the gravitational wave detector-GEO 600. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gravitational Wave Detectors)

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