Showing papers by "Karsten Danzmann published in 2014"
TL;DR: A search for the stochastic background with the latest data from the LIGO and Virgo detectors shows no evidence of a stochastically gravitational-wave signal, and the limits in these four bands are the lowest direct measurements to date on the stoChastic background.
Abstract: Gravitational waves from a variety of sources are predicted to superpose to create a stochastic background. This background is expected to contain unique information from throughout the history of the universe that is unavailable through standard electromagnetic observations, making its study of fundamental importance to understanding the evolution of the universe. We carry out a search for the stochastic background with the latest data from LIGO and Virgo. Consistent with predictions from most stochastic gravitational-wave background models, the data display no evidence of a stochastic gravitational-wave signal. Assuming a gravitational-wave spectrum of Omega_GW(f)=Omega_alpha*(f/f_ref)^alpha, we place 95% confidence level upper limits on the energy density of the background in each of four frequency bands spanning 41.5-1726 Hz. In the frequency band of 41.5-169.25 Hz for a spectral index of alpha=0, we constrain the energy density of the stochastic background to be Omega_GW(f)<5.6x10^-6. For the 600-1000 Hz band, Omega_GW(f)<0.14*(f/900 Hz)^3, a factor of 2.5 lower than the best previously reported upper limits. We find Omega_GW(f)<1.8x10^-4 using a spectral index of zero for 170-600 Hz and Omega_GW(f)<1.0*(f/1300 Hz)^3 for 1000-1726 Hz, bands in which no previous direct limits have been placed. The limits in these four bands are the lowest direct measurements to date on the stochastic background. We discuss the implications of these results in light of the recent claim by the BICEP2 experiment of the detection of inflationary gravitational waves.
111 citations
TL;DR: For almost 20 years, advanced techniques have been developed and tested at the GEO 600 laser-interferometric gravitational wave detector as mentioned in this paper, and these techniques have influenced the upgrades of other detectors worldwide.
Abstract: For almost 20 years, advanced techniques have been developed and tested at the GEO 600 laser-interferometric gravitational wave detector. Many of these innovations have improved the sensitivity of GEO 600 and could be shown to be consistent with stable and reliable operation of gravitational wave detectors. We review the performance of these techniques and show how they have influenced the upgrades of other detectors worldwide. In the second half of the paper, we consider how GEO 600 continues to pioneer new techniques for future gravitational wave detectors. We describe some of the new methods in detail and present new results on how they improve the sensitivity and/or the stability of GEO 600 and possibly of future detectors.
93 citations
TL;DR: New constraints on cosmic string parameters are derived, which complement and improve existing limits from previous searches for a stochastic background of GWs from cosmic microwave background measurements and pulsar timing data.
Abstract: Cosmic strings can give rise to a large variety of interesting astrophysical phenomena. Among them, powerful bursts of gravitational waves (GWs) produced by cusps are a promising observational signature. In this Letter we present a search for GWs from cosmic string cusps in data collected by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors between 2005 and 2010, with over 625 days of live time. We find no evidence of GW signals from cosmic strings. From this result, we derive new constraints on cosmic string parameters, which complement and improve existing limits from previous searches for a stochastic background of GWs from cosmic microwave background measurements and pulsar timing data. In particular, if the size of loops is given by the gravitational backreaction scale, we place upper limits on the string tension Gμ below 10−8 in some regions of the cosmic string parameter space.
93 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compare the sensitivities of these observations to several model light curves from possible sources of interest, and discuss prospects for future joint GW-optical observations of this type.
Abstract: During the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory and Virgo joint science runs in 2009-2010, gravitational wave (GW) data from three interferometer detectors were analyzed within minutes to select GW candidate events and infer their apparent sky positions. Target coordinates were transmitted to several telescopes for follow-up observations aimed at the detection of an associated optical transient. Images were obtained for eight such GW candidates. We present the methods used to analyze the image data as well as the transient search results. No optical transient was identified with a convincing association with any of these candidates, and none of the GW triggers showed strong evidence for being astrophysical in nature. We compare the sensitivities of these observations to several model light curves from possible sources of interest, and discuss prospects for future joint GW-optical observations of this type.
89 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the first results of an all-sky search for continuous gravitational waves from unknown spinning neutron stars in binary systems using LIGO and Virgo data were presented, using a specially developed analysis program, the TwoSpect algorithm.
Abstract: We present the first results of an all-sky search for continuous gravitational waves from unknown spinning neutron stars in binary systems using LIGO and Virgo data. Using a specially developed analysis program, the TwoSpect algorithm, the search was carried out on data from the sixth LIGO Science Run and the second and third Virgo Science Runs. The search covers a range of frequencies from 20 Hz to 520 Hz, a range of orbital periods from 2 to ~2,254 h and a frequency- and period-dependent range of frequency modulation depths from 0.277 to 100 mHz. This corresponds to a range of projected semi-major axes of the orbit from ~0.6e-3 ls to ~6,500 ls assuming the orbit of the binary is circular. While no plausible candidate gravitational wave events survive the pipeline, upper limits are set on the analyzed data. The most sensitive 95% confidence upper limit obtained on gravitational wave strain is 2.3e-24 at 217 Hz, assuming the source waves are circularly polarized. Although this search has been optimized for circular binary orbits, the upper limits obtained remain valid for orbital eccentricities as large as 0.9. In addition, upper limits are placed on continuous gravitational wave emission from the low-mass x-ray binary Scorpius X-1 between 20 Hz and 57.25 Hz.
79 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an unmodeled, all-sky search for gravitational waves from merging intermediate mass black hole binaries (IMBHB) was performed on data from the second joint science run of the LIGO and Virgo detectors (July 2009-October 2010).
Abstract: This paper reports on an unmodeled, all-sky search for gravitational waves from merging intermediate mass black hole binaries (IMBHB). The search was performed on data from the second joint science run of the LIGO and Virgo detectors (July 2009–October 2010) and was sensitive to IMBHBs with a range up to ∼200 Mpc, averaged over the possible sky positions and inclinations of the binaries with respect to the line of sight. No significant candidate was found. Upper limits on the coalescence-rate density of nonspinning IMBHBs with total masses between 100 and 450 M⊙ and mass ratios between 0.25 and 1 were placed by combining this analysis with an analogous search performed on data from the first LIGO-Virgo joint science run (November 2005–October 2007). The most stringent limit was set for systems consisting of two 88 M⊙ black holes and is equal to 0.12 Mpc−3 Myr−1 at the 90% confidence level. This paper also presents the first estimate, for the case of an unmodeled analysis, of the impact on the search range of IMBHB spin configurations: the visible volume for IMBHBs with nonspinning components is roughly doubled for a population of IMBHBs with spins aligned with the binary’s orbital angular momentum and uniformly distributed in the dimensionless spin parameter up to 0.8, whereas an analogous population with antialigned spins decreases the visible volume by ∼20%.
59 citations
TL;DR: The NINJA-2 project as mentioned in this paper employed 60 complete BBH hybrid waveforms consisting of a numerical portion modeling the late inspiral, merger, and ringdown stitched to a post-Newtonian portion modelling the early inspiral.
Abstract: The Numerical INJection Analysis (NINJA) project is a collaborative effort between members of the numerical relativity and gravitational-wave (GW) astrophysics communities. The purpose of NINJA is to study the ability to detect GWs emitted from merging binary black holes (BBH) and recover their parameters with next-generation GW observatories. We report here on the results of the second NINJA project, NINJA-2, which employs 60 complete BBH hybrid waveforms consisting of a numerical portion modelling the late inspiral, merger, and ringdown stitched to a post-Newtonian portion modelling the early inspiral. In a 'blind injection challenge' similar to that conducted in recent Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo science runs, we added seven hybrid waveforms to two months of data recoloured to predictions of Advanced LIGO (aLIGO) and Advanced Virgo (AdV) sensitivity curves during their first observing runs. The resulting data was analysed by GW detection algorithms and 6 of the waveforms were recovered with false alarm rates smaller than 1 in a thousand years. Parameter-estimation algorithms were run on each of these waveforms to explore the ability to constrain the masses, component angular momenta and sky position of these waveforms. We find that the strong degeneracy between the mass ratio and the BHs' angular momenta will make it difficult to precisely estimate these parameters with aLIGO and AdV. We also perform a large-scale Monte Carlo study to assess the ability to recover each of the 60 hybrid waveforms with early aLIGO and AdV sensitivity curves. Our results predict that early aLIGO and AdV will have a volume-weighted average sensitive distance of 300 Mpc (1 Gpc) for 10M⊙ + 10M⊙ (50M⊙ + 50M⊙) BBH coalescences. We demonstrate that neglecting the component angular momenta in the waveform models used in matched-filtering will result in a reduction in sensitivity for systems with large component angular momenta. This reduction is estimated to be up to ~15% for 50M⊙ + 50M⊙ BBH coalescences with almost maximal angular momenta aligned with the orbit when using early aLIGO and AdV sensitivity curves.
57 citations
TL;DR: A search for gravitational waves associated with 223 γ-ray bursts detected by the InterPlanetary Network in 2005-2010 is presented to provide a population statement for GRB searches in first-generation LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors and a resulting examination of prospects for the advanced gravitational wave detector.
Abstract: We present the results of a search for gravitational waves associated with 223 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the InterPlanetary Network (IPN) in 2005-2010 during LIGO's fifth and sixth science runs and Virgo's first, second and third science runs. The IPN satellites provide accurate times of the bursts and sky localizations that vary significantly from degree scale to hundreds of square degrees. We search for both a well-modeled binary coalescence signal, the favored progenitor model for short GRBs, and for generic, unmodeled gravitational wave bursts. Both searches use the event time and sky localization to improve the gravitational-wave search sensitivity as compared to corresponding all-time, all-sky searches. We find no evidence of a gravitational-wave signal associated with any of the IPN GRBs in the sample, nor do we find evidence for a population of weak gravitational-wave signals associated with the GRBs. For all IPN-detected GRBs, for which a sufficient duration of quality gravitational-wave data is available, we place lower bounds on the distance to the source in accordance with an optimistic assumption of gravitational-wave emission energy of $10^{-2}M_{\odot}c^2$ at 150 Hz, and find a median of 13 Mpc. For the 27 short-hard GRBs we place 90% confidence exclusion distances to two source models: a binary neutron star coalescence, with a median distance of 12Mpc, or the coalescence of a neutron star and black hole, with a median distance of 22 Mpc. Finally, we combine this search with previously published results to provide a population statement for GRB searches in first-generation LIGO and Virgo gravitational-wave detectors, and a resulting examination of prospects for the advanced gravitational-wave detectors.
57 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a linear search grid to analyse GRB events with large sky localisation uncertainties such as the localisations provided by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM).
Abstract: In this paper we report on a search for short-duration gravitational wave bursts in the frequency range 64 Hz-1792 Hz associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), using data from GEO600 and one of the LIGO or Virgo detectors. We introduce the method of a linear search grid to analyse GRB events with large sky localisation uncertainties such as the localisations provided by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM). Coherent searches for gravitational waves (GWs) can be computationally intensive when the GRB sky position is not well-localised, due to the corrections required for the difference in arrival time between detectors. Using a linear search grid we are able to reduce the computational cost of the analysis by a factor of O(10) for GBM events. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our analysis pipeline can improve upon the sky localisation of GRBs detected by the GBM, if a high-frequency GW signal is observed in coincidence. We use the linear search grid method in a search for GWs associated with 129 GRBs observed satellite-based gamma-ray experiments between 2006 and 2011. The GRBs in our sample had not been previously analysed for GW counterparts. A fraction of our GRB events are analysed using data from GEO600 while the detector was using squeezed-light states to improve its sensitivity; this is the first search for GWs using data from a squeezed-light interferometric observatory. We find no evidence for GW signals, either with any individual GRB in this sample or with the population as a whole. For each GRB we place lower bounds on the distance to the progenitor, assuming a fixed GW emission energy of $10^{-2} M_{\odot}c^{2}$, with a median exclusion distance of 0.8 Mpc for emission at 500 Hz and 0.3 Mpc at 1 kHz. The reduced computational cost associated with a linear search grid will enable rapid searches for GWs associated with Fermi GBM events in the Advanced detector era.
53 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reported an upper bound on the coalescence rate of binary IMBH mergers with non-spinning and equal mass components of either 1:1 or 4:1.
Abstract: We report results from a search for gravitational waves produced by perturbed intermediate mass black holes (IMBH) in data collected by LIGO and Virgo between 2005 and 2010. The search was sensitive to astrophysical sources that produced damped sinusoid gravitational wave signals, also known as ringdowns, with frequency $50\le f_{0}/\mathrm{Hz} \le 2000$ and decay timescale $0.0001\lesssim \tau/\mathrm{s} \lesssim 0.1$ characteristic of those produced in mergers of IMBH pairs. No significant gravitational wave candidate was detected. We report upper limits on the astrophysical coalescence rates of IMBHs with total binary mass $50 \le M/\mathrm{M}_\odot \le 450$ and component mass ratios of either 1:1 or 4:1. For systems with total mass $100 \le M/\mathrm{M}_\odot \le 150$, we report a 90%-confidence upper limit on the rate of binary IMBH mergers with non-spinning and equal mass components of $6.9\times10^{-8}\,$Mpc$^{-3}$yr$^{-1}$. We also report a rate upper limit for ringdown waveforms from perturbed IMBHs, radiating 1% of their mass as gravitational waves in the fundamental, $\ell=m=2$, oscillation mode, that is nearly three orders of magnitude more stringent than previous results.
39 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an all-sky search for periodic gravitational waves in the frequency range 50-1000 Hz with the first derivative of frequency in the range −8.9 × 10−10 Hz s−1 to zero in two years of data collected during LIGO's fifth science run is reported.
Abstract: We report on an all-sky search for periodic gravitational waves in the frequency range 50–1000 Hz with the first derivative of frequency in the range −8.9 × 10−10 Hz s−1 to zero in two years of data collected during LIGO's fifth science run. Our results employ a Hough transform technique, introducing a χ2 test and analysis of coincidences between the signal levels in years 1 and 2 of observations that offers a significant improvement in the product of strain sensitivity with compute cycles per data sample compared to previously published searches. Since our search yields no surviving candidates, we present results taking the form of frequency dependent, 95% confidence upper limits on the strain amplitude h0. The most stringent upper limit from year 1 is 1.0 × 10−24 in the 158.00–158.25 Hz band. In year 2, the most stringent upper limit is 8.9 × 10−25 in the 146.50–146.75 Hz band. This improved detection pipeline, which is computationally efficient by at least two orders of magnitude better than our flagship Einstein@Home search, will be important for 'quick-look' searches in the Advanced LIGO and Virgo detector era.
TL;DR: An inter-satellite laser link acquisition scheme for GRACE Follow-On is experimentally demonstrated, which optimizes the alignment between beams to allow a smooth transition to differential wavefront sensing-based auto-alignment.
Abstract: We experimentally demonstrate an inter-satellite laser link acquisition scheme for GRACE Follow-On. In this strategy, dedicated acquisition sensors are not required-instead we use the photodetectors and signal processing hardware already required for science operation. To establish the laser link, a search over five degrees of freedom must be conducted (± 3 mrad in pitch/yaw for each laser beam, and ± 1 GHz for the frequency difference between the two lasers). This search is combined with a FFT-based peak detection algorithm run on each satellite to find the heterodyne beat note resulting when the two beams are interfered. We experimentally demonstrate the two stages of our acquisition strategy: a ± 3 mrad commissioning scan and a ± 300 μrad reacquisition scan. The commissioning scan enables each beam to be pointed at the other satellite to within 142 μrad of its best alignment point with a frequency difference between lasers of less than 20 MHz. Scanning over the 4 alignment degrees of freedom in our commissioning scan takes 214 seconds, and when combined with sweeping the laser frequency difference at a rate of 88 kHz/s, the entire commissioning sequence completes within 6.3 hours. The reacquisition sequence takes 7 seconds to complete, and optimizes the alignment between beams to allow a smooth transition to differential wavefront sensing-based auto-alignment.
TL;DR: In this article, an analytical marginalization of the posterior parameter probability density with respect to the background noise PSD is proposed, which returns an estimate both for the fitting parameters and for the PSD.
Abstract: LISA Pathfinder (LPF), the precursor mission to a gravitational wave observatory of the European Space Agency, will measure the degree to which two test masses can be put into free fall, aiming to demonstrate a suppression of disturbance forces corresponding to a residual relative acceleration with a power spectral density (PSD) below (30 fm/sq s/Hz)(sup 2) around 1 mHz. In LPF data analysis, the disturbance forces are obtained as the difference between the acceleration data and a linear combination of other measured data series. In many circumstances, the coefficients for this linear combination are obtained by fitting these data series to the acceleration, and the disturbance forces appear then as the data series of the residuals of the fit. Thus the background noise or, more precisely, its PSD, whose knowledge is needed to build up the likelihood function in ordinary maximum likelihood fitting, is here unknown, and its estimate constitutes instead one of the goals of the fit. In this paper we present a fitting method that does not require the knowledge of the PSD of the background noise. The method is based on the analytical marginalization of the posterior parameter probability density with respect to the background noise PSD, and returns an estimate both for the fitting parameters and for the PSD. We show that both these estimates are unbiased, and that, when using averaged Welchs periodograms for the residuals, the estimate of the PSD is consistent, as its error tends to zero with the inverse square root of the number of averaged periodograms. Additionally, we find that the method is equivalent to some implementations of iteratively reweighted least-squares fitting. We have tested the method both on simulated data of known PSD and on data from several experiments performed with the LISA Pathfinder end-to-end mission simulator.
TL;DR: The beam steering method that is required to maintain the laser link between the GRACE Follow-On satellites is investigated and important characteristics of the beam steering setup such as Differential Wavefront Sensing signals, heterodyne efficiency, and suppression of rotation-to-pathlength coupling are investigated and compared with analysis results.
Abstract: The GRACE Follow-On satellites will use, for the first time, a Laser Ranging Interferometer to measure intersatellite distance changes from which fluctuations in Earth’s geoid can be inferred. We have investigated the beam steering method that is required to maintain the laser link between the satellites. Although developed for the specific needs of the GRACE Follow-On mission, the beam steering method could also be applied to other intersatellite laser ranging applications where major difficulties are common: large spacecraft separation and large spacecraft attitude jitter. The beam steering method simultaneously coaligns local oscillator beam and transmitted beam with the laser beam received from the distant spacecraft using Differential Wavefront Sensing. We demonstrate the operation of the beam steering method on breadboard level using GRACE satellite attitude jitter data to command a hexapod, a six-degree-of-freedom rotation and translation stage. We verify coalignment of local oscillator beam/ transmitted beam and received beam of better than 10 μrad with a stability of 10 μrad/ Hz in the GRACE Follow-On measurement band of 0.002...0.1 Hz. Additionally, important characteristics of the beam steering setup such as Differential Wavefront Sensing signals, heterodyne efficiency, and suppression of rotation-to-pathlength coupling are investigated and compared with analysis results.
TL;DR: The development of an advanced phasemeter for the deep phase modulation interferometry technique, which aims for precise length measurements with a high dynamic range using little optical hardware, is presented.
Abstract: We present the development of an advanced phasemeter for the deep phase modulation interferometry technique. This technique aims for precise length measurements with a high dynamic range using little optical hardware. The advanced phasemeter uses fast ADCs and an FPGA to implement a design of multiple single-bin Fourier transforms running at high sampling rates. Non-linear noise sources in the design were analyzed and suppressed. A null measurement with an optical beatnote signal using λ = 1064nm was conducted. It showed a sensitivity of 0.8μrad/Hz below 10Hz and 13.3μrad/Hz above, with a large dynamic range. The shown performance could enable the measuring of optical path lengths with sensitivities down to 0.14pm/Hz and 2.3pm/Hz, respectively, over several fringes in an interferometric setup.
TL;DR: A high speed version of digitally enhanced heterodyne interferometry for measuring multiple targets spatially separated by only a few centimetres and identifies a limiting excess noise at low frequencies which is unique to this technique and is probably caused by the finite bandwidth in the measurement set-up.
Abstract: Digitally enhanced heterodyne interferometry is a metrology technique that uses pseudo-random noise codes for modulating the phase of the laser light. Multiple interferometric signals from the same beam path can thereby be isolated based on their propagation delay, allowing one to use advantageous optical layouts in comparison to classic laser interferometers. We present here a high speed version of this technique for measuring multiple targets spatially separated by only a few centimetres. This allows measurements of multiplexed signals using free beams, making the technique attractive for several applications requiring compact optical set-ups like for example space-based interferometers. In an experiment using a modulation and sampling rate of 1.25 GHz we are able to demonstrate multiplexing between targets only separated by 36 cm and we achieve a displacement measurement noise floor of <3 pm/√Hz at 10 Hz between them. We identify a limiting excess noise at low frequencies which is unique to this technique and is probably caused by the finite bandwidth in our measurement set-up. Utilising an active clock jitter correction scheme we are also able to reduce this noise in a null measurement configuration by one order of magnitude.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report on the design and construction of a prototype triple mirror assembly for the GRACE Follow-on mission, which has a co-alignment error between the incoming and outgoing beams of 9 μrad.
Abstract: The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission, launched in 2002, is nearing an end, and a continuation mission (GRACE Follow-on) is on a fast-tracked development. GRACE Follow-on will include a laser ranging interferometer technology demonstrator, which will perform the first laser interferometric ranging measurement between separate spacecraft. This necessitates the development of lightweight precision optics that can operate in this demanding environment. In particular, this beam routing system, called the triple mirror assembly, for the GRACE Follow-on mission presents a significant manufacturing challenge. Here we report on the design and construction of a prototype triple mirror assembly for the GRACE Follow-on mission. Our constructed prototype has a co-alignment error between the incoming and outgoing beams of 9 μrad, which meets the requirement that this error must be less than 10 μrad.
TL;DR: A hybrid-extended Kalman filter algorithm to synchronize the clocks and to precisely determine the inter-spacecraft distances for space-based gravitational wave detectors, such as (e)LISA is described.
Abstract: In this paper, we describe a hybrid-extended Kalman filter algorithm to synchronize the clocks and to precisely determine the interspacecraft distances for space-based gravitational wave detectors, such as (e)LISA. According to the simulation, the algorithm has significantly improved the ranging accuracy and synchronized the clocks, making the phase-meter raw measurements qualified for time-delay interferometry algorithms.
TL;DR: A method based on phase-shifting Fizeau interferometry is presented with which retroreflectors with large incoming-outgoing beam separations can be tested and the beam coalignment of a prototype Triple Mirror Assembly of the GRACE Follow-On Laser Ranging Interferometer is measured.
Abstract: A method based on phase-shifting Fizeau interferometry is presented with which retroreflectors with large incoming-outgoing beam separations can be tested. The method relies on a flat Reference Bar that is used to align two auxiliary mirrors parallel to each other to extend the aperture of the interferometer. The method is applied to measure the beam coalignment of a prototype Triple Mirror Assembly of the GRACE Follow-On Laser Ranging Interferometer, a future satellite-to-satellite tracking device for Earth gravimetry. The Triple Mirror Assembly features a lateral beam offset of incoming and outgoing beam of 600 mm, whereas the acceptance angle for the incoming beam is only about ±2 mrad. With the developed method, the beam coalignment of the prototype Triple Mirror Assembly was measured to be 9 μrad with a repeatability of below 1 μrad.
TL;DR: In this article, an astigmatism correction system, based on heating this folding mirror at the sides (laterally), is proposed to tune its radius of curvature in the horizontal and vertical degree of freedom.
Abstract: The output port of GEO 600 is dominated by unwanted higher order modes (HOMs). The current thermal actuation system, a ring heater behind one of the folding mirrors, causes a significant amount of astigmatism, which produces HOMs. We have built and installed an astigmatism correction system, based on heating this folding mirror at the sides (laterally). With these side heaters and the ring heater behind the mirror, it is possible to tune its radius of curvature in the horizontal and the vertical degree of freedom. We use this system to match the mirrors in the two arms of GEO 600 to each other, thereby reducing the contrast defect. The use of the side heaters reduces the power of the HOMs at the output of GEO 600 by approximately 37%.
TL;DR: The experimental location of the PMC under pitch and yaw rotations for a prototype Triple Mirror Assembly (TMA) is presented, and it is shown that within the measurement uncertainties, no difference between TMA vertex and PMC could be observed.
Abstract: This work was partly funded by the “Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung” (BMBF, ¨
project number: 03F0654B), by the “Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft” (DFG) within the
Cluster of Excellence QUEST (Centre for Quantum Engineering and Space-Time Research),
and by the Australian Government’s Australian Space Research Program (ASRP).
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: The Future Gravity Field Satellite Missions (FGM) project as discussed by the authors was a logical consequence of two previous phases in Theme 2 “Observation of the System Earth from Space” in the BMBF/DFG (Federal Ministry of Education and Research/German Research Foundation) Research and Development Programme GEOTECHNOLOGIEN.
Abstract: The project “Future Gravity Field Satellite Missions” (FGM) was a logical consequence of two previous phases in Theme 2 “Observation of the System Earth from Space” in the BMBF/DFG (Federal Ministry of Education and Research/German Research Foundation) Research and Development Programme GEOTECHNOLOGIEN.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report on the successful testing of the GRACE follow-on triple mirror assembly (TMA) prototype, which serves to route the laser beam in a proposed followon mission to the Gravity Recovery and Climate Explorer (GRACE) mission.
Abstract: We report on the successful testing of the GRACE follow-on triple mirror assembly (TMA) prototype. This component serves to route the laser beam in a proposed follow-on mission to the Gravity Recovery and Climate Explorer (GRACE) mission, containing an optical instrument for space-based distance measurement between satellites. As part of this, the TMA has to meet a set of stringent requirements on both the optical and mechanical properties. The purpose of the TMA prototype testing is to establish the feasibility of the design, materials choice and fabrication techniques. Here we report on co-alignment testing of this device to the arc second (5 μrad) level and thermal alignment stability testing to 1 .
Max Planck Society1, University of Trento2, University of Glasgow3, Airbus Defence and Space4, University of Birmingham5, Leibniz University of Hanover6, European Space Research and Technology Centre7, Albert Einstein Institution8, Technical University of Denmark9, European Space Agency10, Imperial College London11, Cardiff University12
TL;DR: A broad overview of the planned space missions related to gravitational wave detection was given by Alberto Sesana and Sasha Buchman at the C5 on Space-Based Detectors as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The parallel session C5 on Space-Based Detectors gave a broad overview over the planned space missions related to gravitational wave detection. Overviews of the revolutionary science to be expected from LISA was given by Alberto Sesana and Sasha Buchman. The launch of LISA Pathfinder (LPF) is planned for 2015. This mission and its payload “LISA Technology Package” will demonstrate key technologies for LISA. In this context, reference masses in free fall for LISA, and gravitational physics in general, was described by William Weber, laser interferometry at the pico-metre level and the optical bench of LPF was presented by Christian Killow and the performance of the LPF optical metrology system by Paul McNamara. While LPF will not yet be sensitive to gravitational waves, it may nevertheless be used to explore fundamental physics questions, which was discussed by Michele Armano. Some parts of the LISA technology that are not going to be demonstrated by LPF, but under intensive development at the moment, were presented by Oliver Jennrich and Oliver Gerberding. Looking into the future, Japan is studying the design of a mid-frequency detector called DECIGO, which was discussed by Tomotada Akutsu. Using atom interferometry for gravitational wave detection has also been recently proposed, and it was critically reviewed by Peter Bender. In the nearer future, the launch of GRACE Follow-On (for Earth gravity observation) is scheduled for 2017, and it will include a Laser Ranging Interferometer as technology demonstrator. This will be the first inter-spacecraft laser interferometer and has many aspects in common with the LISA long arm, as discussed by Andrew Sutton.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a web application that uses over 30 input parameters and considers many important technical noise sources and noise suppression techniques to optimize free parameters automatically and generate a detailed report on all individual noise contributions.
Abstract: The most promising concept for low frequency gravitational wave observatories are laser interferometric detectors in space. It is usually assumed that the noise floor for such a detector is dominated by optical shot noise in the signal readout. For this to be true, a careful balance of mission parameters is crucial to keep all other parasitic disturbances below shot noise. We developed a web application that uses over 30 input parameters and considers many important technical noise sources and noise suppression techniques. It optimizes free parameters automatically and generates a detailed report on all individual noise contributions. Thus you can easily explore the entire parameter space and design a realistic gravitational wave observatory.
In this document we describe the different parameters, present all underlying calculations, and compare the final observatory's sensitivity with astrophysical sources of gravitational waves. We use as an example parameters currently assumed to be likely applied to a space mission to be launched in 2034 by the European Space Agency. The web application itself is publicly available on the Internet at this http URL
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: In this article, the LTP interferometer was tested in nearly space conditions for the first time after integration in the satellite and the results showed the compliance of the temperature measurement system, obtaining temperature noise around $10^{-4}\,{\rm K}\, {\rm Hz}^{-1/2}$ in the frequency band of $1-30\;{\rm mHz}$.
Abstract: During the On-Station Thermal Test campaign of the LISA Pathfinder the data and diagnostics subsystem was tested in nearly space conditions for the first time after integration in the satellite. The results showed the compliance of the temperature measurement system, obtaining temperature noise around $10^{-4}\,{\rm K}\, {\rm Hz}^{-1/2}$ in the frequency band of $1-30\;{\rm mHz}$. In addition, controlled injection of heat signals to the suspension struts anchoring the LISA Technology Package (LTP) Core Assembly to the satellite structure allowed to experimentally estimate for the first time the phase noise contribution through thermo-elastic distortion of the LTP interferometer, the satellite's main instrument. Such contribution was found to be at $10^{-12}\,{\rm m}\, {\rm Hz}^{-1/2}$, a factor of 30 below the measured noise at the lower end of the measurement bandwidth ($1\,{\rm mHz}$).
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: After 20 years of study as a joint ESA-NASA mission, LISA had to be redesigned as an ESA-only mission in 2011/2012 to meet programmatic and budgetary constraints of the space agencies as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: After 20 years of study as a joint ESA-NASA mission, LISA had to be redesigned as an ESA-only mission in 2011/2012 to meet programmatic and budgetary constraints of the space agencies The result is a mission concept called “eLISA” or “NGO” with two arms instead of three and one million km armlengths instead of 5, which results in smaller launch mass but still provides revolutionary science Nevertheless, even the reduced science is expected to be revolutionary for the study of black holes and other astrophysical and cosmological questions “eLISA”/“NGO” was not selected in ESA’s call for the first (“L1”) large mission in the Cosmic Vision program, but is a strong candidate for the L2 call, with possible international contributions from the US and/or China
TL;DR: In this article, the authors summarise the presentations given during the "Education and Public Outreach on Gravitational-Wave Astronomy" parallel session at the GR-20/Amaldi conference, held in Warsaw, July 2013.
Abstract: In this paper we summarise the presentations given during the “Education and Public Outreach on Gravitational-Wave Astronomy” parallel session at the GR-20/Amaldi conference, held in Warsaw, July 2013. The talks presented demonstrate the wide range of education and public outreach activities being undertaken in the field of gravitational-wave astronomy—across science festivals, science education centers, junior schools and high schools, colleges and universities, via both face-to-face delivery and (increasingly) the internet and social media.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe a new geometry for electrostatic actuators to be used in sensitive laser interferometers, which consists of two plates at the sides of the mirror (test mass), and therefore does not reduce its clear aperture as a conventional electrostatic drive would do.
Abstract: We describe a new geometry for electrostatic actuators to be used in sensitive laser interferometers. The arrangement consists of two plates at the sides of the mirror (test mass), and therefore does not reduce its clear aperture as a conventional electrostatic drive (ESD) would do. Using the sample case of the AEI-10m prototype interferometer, we investigate the actuation range and influences of relative misalignment of the ESD plates in respect to the test mass. We find that in the case of the AEI-10 m prototype interferometer, this new kind of ESD could provide a range of 0.28 micrometer when operated at a voltage of 1 kV. In addition, the geometry presented is shown to provide a reduction factor of about 100 in the magnitude of actuator motion coupling to test mass displacement. We show that therefore in the specific case of the AEI-10m interferometer it is possible to mount the ESD actuators directly on the optical table, without spoiling the seismic isolation performance of the triple stage suspension of the main test masses.