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Modern short-range gravity experiments that seek to test the Newtonian inverse-square law or weak equivalence principle of general relativity typically involve measuring the minute variations in the twist angle of a torsion pendulum. Motivated by various theoretical arguments, recent efforts largely focus on measurements with test mass separations in the sub-millimeter regime. To measure the twist, many experiments employ an optical autocollimator with a noise performance of ∼300 nrad[Formula: see text] in the 0.1–10 mHz band, enabling a measurement uncertainty of a few nanoradians in a typical integration time. We investigated an alternative method for measuring a small twist angle through the construction of a modified Michelson interferometer. The main modification is the introduction of two additional arms that allow for improved angular alignment. A series of detectors and LabView software routines were developed to determine the orientation of a mirror attached to a sinusoidally driven rotation stage that oscillated with an amplitude of 0.35 mrad and a period of 200 s. In these measurements, the resolution of the interferometer is 8.1  μrad per fringe, while its dynamic range spanned 0.962 mrad. We compare the performance of this interferometric optical system to existing autocollimator-based methods, discussing its implementation, possible advantages, and future potential, as well as disadvantages and limitations. 

We describe a liquid-cryogen free cryostat with ultra-low vibration levels, which allows for continuous operation of a torsion balance at cryogenic temperatures. The apparatus uses a commercially available two-stage pulse-tube cooler and passive vibration isolation. The torsion balance exhibits torque noise levels lower than room temperature thermal noise by a factor of about four in the frequency range of 3–10 mHz, limited by residual seismic motion and by radiative heating of the pendulum body. In addition to lowering thermal noise below room-temperature limits, the low-temperature environment enables novel torsion balance experiments. Currently, the maximum duration of a continuous measurement run is limited by accumulation of cryogenic surface contamination on the optical elements inside the cryostat. 

We search for gravitational-wave (GW) transients associated with fast radio bursts (FRBs) detected by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst Project, during the first part of the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo (2019 April 1 15:00 UTC–2019 October 1 15:00 UTC). Triggers from 22 FRBs were analyzed with a search that targets both binary neutron star (BNS) and neutron star–black hole (NSBH) mergers. A targeted search for generic GW transients was conducted on 40 FRBs. We find no significant evidence for a GW association in either search. Given the large uncertainties in the distances of our FRB sample, we are unable to exclude the possibility of a GW association. Assessing the volumetric event rates of both FRB and binary mergers, an association is limited to 15% of the FRB population for BNS mergers or 1% for NSBH mergers. We report 90% confidence lower bounds on the distance to each FRB for a range of GW progenitor models and set upper limits on the energy emitted through GWs for a range of emission scenarios. We find values of order 10⁵¹–10⁵⁷erg for models with central GW frequencies in the range 70–3560 Hz. At the sensitivity of this search, we find these limits to be above the predicted GW emissions for the models considered. We also find no significant coincident detection of GWs with the repeater, FRB 20200120E, which is the closest known extragalactic FRB.