Special Talk
High index materials with low mechanical loss for gravitational wave detectors
Presented by Mariana Fazio (Colorado State University)
Interferometric gravitational wave detectors such as Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo have ushered in a new era in Astronomy. Advanced LIGO is currently in its third observing run and setting its sight on the upcoming A+ upgrade with a clear goal of increasing the detector sensitivity. For these interferometric detectors the sensitivity is limited mainly by quantum noise and thermal noise. With the introduction of squeezed light, reducing thermal noise is of paramount importance to achieve the sensitivity goals. The thermal noise is associated with the Brownian motion of the multilayer stacks that compose the end masses of the interferometers, with its main source being the mechanical loss of the high index layer. I will present a brief overview on the current understanding of mechanical loss and will focus on the research carried out by our group in search for novel high index materials.
10:00 am, Friday, October 4, 2019
PAIS-2540, PAIS
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