skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


Title: Expanding the Quantum-Limited Gravitational-Wave Detection Horizon
We demonstrate the potential of new adaptive optical technology to expand the detection horizon of gravitational-wave observatories. Achieving greater quantum-noise-limited sensitivity to spacetime strain hinges on achieving higher circulating laser power, in excess of 1MW, in conjunction with highly squeezed quantum states of light. The new technology will enable significantly higher levels of laser power and squeezing in gravitational-wave detectors, by providing high-precision, low-noise correction of limiting sources of thermal distortions directly to the core interferometer optics. In simulated projections for LIGO A#, assuming an input laser power of 125 Wand an effective injected squeezing level of 9 dB entering the interferometer, an initial concept of this technology can reduce the noise floor of the detectors by up to 20% from 200 Hz to 5 kHz, corresponding to an increment of 4 Mpc in the sky-averaged detection range for binary neutron star mergers. This work lays the foundation for one of the key technology improvements essential to fully utilize the scientific potential of the existing 4-km LIGO facilities, to observe black hole merger events past a redshift of 5, and opens a realistic pathway towards a next-generation 40-km gravitational-wave observatory in the U.S., Cosmic Explorer.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2409496
PAR ID:
10598765
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Physical Review Letters
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Physical Review Letters
Volume:
134
Issue:
5
ISSN:
0031-9007
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Science)
    The Heisenberg uncertainty principle dictates that the position and momentum of an object cannot be simultaneously measured with arbitrary precision, giving rise to an apparent limitation known as the standard quantum limit (SQL). Gravitational-wave detectors use photons to continuously measure the positions of freely falling mirrors and so are affected by the SQL. We investigated the performance of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) after the experimental realization of frequency-dependent squeezing designed to surpass the SQL. For the LIGO Livingston detector, we found that the upgrade reduces quantum noise below the SQL by a maximum of three decibels between 35 and 75 hertz while achieving a broadband sensitivity improvement, increasing the overall detector sensitivity during astrophysical observations. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Physical review X)
    Quantum noise imposes a fundamental limitation on the sensitivity of interferometric gravitational-wave detectors like LIGO, manifesting as shot noise and quantum radiation pressure noise. Here we present the first realization of frequency-dependent squeezing in full-scale gravitational-wave detectors, resulting in the reduction of both shot noise and quantum radiation pressure noise, with broadband detector enhancement from tens of Hz to several kHz. In the LIGO Hanford detector, squeezing reduced the detector noise amplitude by a factor of 1.6 (4.0 dB) near 1 kHz, while in the Livingston detector, the noise reduction was a factor of 1.9 (5.8dB). These improvements directly impact LIGO’s scientific output for high-frequency sources (e.g., binary neutron star post-merger physics). The improved low-frequency sensitivity, which boosted the detector range by 15–18 % with respect to no squeezing, corresponds to an increase in astrophysical detection rate of up to 65%. Frequency-dependent squeezing was enabled by the addition of a 300-meter long filter cavity to each detector as part of the LIGO A+ upgrade. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Classical and Quantum Gravity)
    The first successful detection of gravitational waves by ground-based observatories, such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), marked a breakthrough in our comprehension of the Universe. However, due to the unprecedented sensitivity required to make such observations, gravitational-wave detectors also capture disruptive noise sources called glitches, which can potentially be confused for or mask gravitational-wave signals. To address this problem, a community-science project, Gravity Spy, incorporates human insight and machine learning to classify glitches in LIGO data. The machine-learning classifier, integrated into the project since 2017, has evolved over time to accommodate increasing numbers of glitch classes. Despite its success, limitations have arisen in the ongoing LIGO fourth observing run (O4) due to the architecture's simplicity, which led to poor generalization and inability to handle multi-time window inputs effectively. We propose an advanced classifier for O4 glitches. Using data from previous observing runs, we evaluate different fusion strategies for multi-time window inputs, using label smoothing to counter noisy labels, and enhancing interpretability through attention module-generated weights. Our new O4 classifier shows improved performance, and will enhance glitch classification, aiding in the ongoing exploration of gravitational-wave phenomena. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Galaxies)
    null (Ed.)
    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. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; (, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia)
    Abstract The detection of a neutron star merger by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and Advanced Virgo gravitational wave detectors, and the subsequent detection of an electromagnetic counterpart have opened a new era of transient astronomy. With upgrades to the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and Advanced Virgo detectors and new detectors coming online in Japan and India, neutron star mergers will be detected at a higher rate in the future, starting with the O3 observing run which will begin in early 2019. The detection of electromagnetic emission from these mergers provides vital information about merger parameters and allows independent measurement of the Hubble constant. The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder is expected to become fully operational in early 2019, and its 30 deg 2 field of view will enable us to rapidly survey large areas of sky. In this work we explore prospects for detecting both prompt and long-term radio emission from neutron star mergers with Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder and determine an observing strategy that optimises the use of telescope time. We investigate different strategies to tile the sky with telescope pointings in order to detect radio counterparts with limited observing time, using 475 simulated gravitational wave events. Our results show a significant improvement in observing efficiency when compared with a naïve strategy of covering the entire localisation above some confidence threshold, even when achieving the same total probability covered. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Text Encoded Conversion
  • XML
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email