2026-09-20T22:57:11Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1283282026-08-04T00:23:12Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131022
Nergis Mavalvala.
Buikema, Aaron.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics.
2020-11-03T20:31:07Z
2020-11-03T20:31:07Z
2020
2020
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/128328
1201526157
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, February, 2020
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-172).
With the conclusion of the first two observing runs of the Advanced LIGO detectors, which saw the first direct detection of gravitational waves, we are firmly in the era of gravitational-wave astronomy. To reach the highest sensitivities, current interferometric gravitational-wave detectors are designed for hundreds of kilowatts of circulating optical power. At these high circulating powers, the sensitivity of the detectors to gravitational waves will be limited by the quantum properties of the light: shot noise at frequencies above ~ 100 Hz, and quantum radiation pressure noise at lower frequencies. To reach the high powers necessary for achieving the quantum noise limits imposed by the light, it is essential to solve the control problems and understand the additional noise introduced by high power operation. Additionally, development of high-power laser sources that reach the stringent noise and reliability requirements is crucial. This work comprises three experiments aimed at reaching the radiation-pressure-dominated regime of interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. The first part presents results from a high-power, meter-long Fabry-Prot Michelson interferometer to probe classical and quantum radiation pressure effects using a gram-scale mechanical oscillator. The second part is an exploration of the effects of electric fields and charging of test masses on the sensitivity of the LIGO detectors, which may limit the ability to observe radiation-pressure effects. Finally, we describe the development and characterization of a high-power, narrow-linewidth ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier for use in future gravitational-wave detectors.
by Aaron Buikema.
Ph.D.
Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics
172 pages
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.
http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Physics.
High-power operation of interferometric gravitational-wave detectors
Thesis
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
application/pdf
2021-02-22T21:20:11Z
Publication
unknown
unknown
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