Optical scattering measurements and implications on thermal noise in Gravitational Wave Detectors Test-Mass Coatings

Document #:

LIGO-P1600345-v2

Document type:

P - Publications

Abstract:

Photographs of the LIGO Gravitational Wave detector mirrors illuminated by the standing beam were analyzed with an astronomical software tool designed to identify stars within images, which extracted hundreds of thousands of point-like scatterers uniformly distributed across the mirror surface, likely distributed through the depth of the coating layers. The sheer number of the observed scatterers implies a fundamental, thermodynamic origin during deposition or processing. These scatterers are a likely source of the mirror dissipation and thermal noise foreseen by V. Braginsky and Y. Levin, which limits the sensitivity of observatories to Gravitational Waves. This study may point the way towards the production of mirrors with reduced thermal noise and an increased detection range.

Files in Document:

• Version Submitted to Physics Letters A (PLApaper-FinalEdit-LG.pdf, 5.8 MB)

Topics:

• Basic R&D

Authors:

• Lamar Glover
• Michael Milovich-Goff
• Jignesh Patel
• Innocenzo M Pinto
• Maria Principe
• Travis Sadecki
• Richard Savage
• Ethan Villarama
• Erik Barragan
• Eric Do
• Riccardo DeSalvo
• Cameron Fajardo

Notes and Changes:

Revision submitted for publication to Physics Letters A, February 2017