Potentials for Astronomical observations using Gravitational Waves. Technological challenges, inventions and discoveries needed to get there

Document #:

JGW-G1201421-v0

Document type:

G

Submitted by:

Riccardo DeSalvo

Updated by:

Riccardo DeSalvo

Document Created:

10 Dec 2012, 14:06

Contents Revised:

10 Dec 2012, 14:06

DB Info Revised:

10 Dec 2012, 14:06

Abstract:

This seminar is divided into two parts. I will:
Very briefly survey the interest and potentialities of GW astronomy, how do we detect gravitational waves and what it takes to turn detection into astronomical observations.
make the point of where do we stand, what was achieved with the first generation of detectors, outline how far we can get with the second generation presently being commissioned, and illustrate some aims of the third generation, presently being considered.
illustrate what can and should be done to get to true gravitational wave astronomy,
list some example of challenges and problems that we had to solve, and some that still get to be tackled to get there
The second part of the seminar will focus on seismic attenuation, one of the challenges that may appear of having been solved, but still has surprises. I will:
tell the about the engineering problem that have been very successfully solved for the first and second generation of Gravitational wave detectors
show how fundamental material problems emerged, how we solved some and discovered a completely new regime of dissipation and deviation from the laws of elasticity.
starting from the Granato Lueck theory of elasticity and dislocations, we will get to dislocation entanglement and then to Bak’s Self Organized Criticality behavior, non-causal response and a new 1/f mechanical noise mechanism.
The new discovery, forced by the tight requirements of gravitational wave detectors, now guides the choice of better materials for the seismic attenuation for the third generation observatories, but also for metrology instruments, and many other vibration sensitive apparata,
It also explains the source of mechanical noise in seismometers and other inertial sensors and will lead (it already has) to the design of better instruments for geophysics and diagnostics.

Files in Document:

None

Topics:

• Activity:KAGRA
• Detector:Seismic Isolation

Authors:

• Riccardo DeSalvo

Notes and Changes:

DRAFT