Inertial control of the mirror suspensions of the VIRGO interferometer for gravitational wave detection

In order to achieve full detection sensitivity at low frequencies, the mirrors of interferometric gravitational wave detectors must be isolated from seismic noise. The VIRGO vibration isolator, called 'superattenuator', is fully effective at frequencies above 4 Hz. Nevertheless, the residual motion of the mirror at the mechanical resonant frequencies of the system are too large for the interferometer locking system and must be damped. A multidimensional feedback system, using inertial sensors and digital processing, has been designed for this purpose. An experimental procedure for determining the feedback control of the system has been defined. In this paper a full description of the system is given and experimental results are presented.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication on Review of Scientific Instrument

Análise foliar em cinco espécies de eucaliptos

Two hundred recent mature leaves were collected, at april 1976, from each of the upper crown part of to years old plants (E. grandis, E. microcorys, E. resinifera, E.robusta, E. saligna), established on two Red Yellow Latossol site at Mogi Guaçu and Areia Branca, State of São Paulo, Brasil. Chemical analysis were run for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in order to detect nutritional differences between the species. The highest concentration of N, P, K and S were founded in E. grandis; while E. microcorys exhibited the lowest concentrations in nutrients. High eleveis in Mn were observed in all species due the acid soils. The yields in (m³/ha.) of wood have varied considerably within the species. The higher production of wood was of the species E. grandis and the lower was due E. microcorys. A positive correlation were observed between nutrient concentration (x) and yield of wood (y) for the elements and is expressed by the following equations: Ny = 261.45 x - 158.51 r = 0.60** Py = 4.476.80 x - 126.24 r = 0.60** Ky = 715.27 x- 1.76 r = 0.58** Sy = 1.431.74 x - 2.13 r = 0.51** Fe y = 2.773.2 x+ 48.63 r = 0.34*Foram coletadas 200 folhas recem maduras de meia altura (H = 11 m) da copa das espécies E. graandis, E. microcorys, E. saligna de sete anos de idade, localizadas em solo latossolo, na região de Mogi Guaçu e Areia Branca, SP. As folhas foram analisadas para N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Fe, Mn e Zn com os objetivos de detectar exigências nutricionais distintas para as espécies, assim como correlacionar o teor dos nutrientes com o volume cilíndrico de madeira (m³/ha). Constatou-se diferenças significativas na composição química entre as espécies. A espécie E. granais apresenta um teor mais elevado em N, P, K e S. As concentrações mais baixas dos nutrientes são encontradas no E. microcorys. Foram constatadas diferenças significativas entre os locais nas espécies com exceção de Mg, B, Cu, Fe e Zn. Teores elevados em Mn foram constatados nas folhas de todas as espécies. O eucalipto de maior produção é o E. grandis, sendo o E. microcorys o de menor produção. Foi constatada correlação positiva entre N, P, K, S e Fe nas folhas e produção cilíndrica de madeira

Gravitational physics with antimatter

The production of low-energy antimatter provides unique opportunities to search for new physics in an unexplored regime. Testing gravitational interactions with antimatter is one such opportunity. Here a scenario based on Lorentz and CPT violation in the Standard- Model Extension is considered in which anomalous gravitational effects in antimatter could arise.Comment: 5 pages, presented at the International Conference on Exotic Atoms (EXA 2008) and the 9th International Conference on Low Energy Antiproton Physics (LEAP 2008), Vienna, Austria, September 200

Virgo calibration and reconstruction of the gravitational wave strain during VSR1

Virgo is a kilometer-length interferometer for gravitational waves detection located near Pisa. Its first science run, VSR1, occured from May to October 2007. The aims of the calibration are to measure the detector sensitivity and to reconstruct the time series of the gravitational wave strain h(t). The absolute length calibration is based on an original non-linear reconstruction of the differential arm length variations in free swinging Michelson configurations. It uses the laser wavelength as length standard. This method is used to calibrate the frequency dependent response of the Virgo mirror actuators and derive the detector in-loop response and sensitivity within ~5%. The principle of the strain reconstruction is highlighted and the h(t) systematic errors are estimated. A photon calibrator is used to check the sign of h(t). The reconstructed h(t) during VSR1 is valid from 10 Hz up to 10 kHz with systematic errors estimated to 6% in amplitude. The phase error is estimated to be 70 mrad below 1.9 kHz and 6 micro-seconds above.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, proceedings of Amaldi 8 conference, to be published in Journal of Physics Conference Series (JPCS). Second release: correct typo

Scientific Potential of Einstein Telescope

Einstein gravitational-wave Telescope (ET) is a design study funded by the European Commission to explore the technological challenges of and scientific benefits from building a third generation gravitational wave detector. The three-year study, which concluded earlier this year, has formulated the conceptual design of an observatory that can support the implementation of new technology for the next two to three decades. The goal of this talk is to introduce the audience to the overall aims and objectives of the project and to enumerate ET's potential to influence our understanding of fundamental physics, astrophysics and cosmology.Comment: Conforms to conference proceedings, several author names correcte

Calibration and sensitivity of the Virgo detector during its second science run

The Virgo detector is a kilometer-length interferometer for gravitational wave detection located near Pisa (Italy). During its second science run (VSR2) in 2009, six months of data were accumulated with a sensitivity close to its design. In this paper, the methods used to determine the parameters for sensitivity estimation and gravitational wave reconstruction are described. The main quantities to be calibrated are the frequency response of the mirror actuation and the sensing of the output power. Focus is also put on their absolute timing. The monitoring of the calibration data as well as the parameter estimation with independent techniques are discussed to provide an estimation of the calibration uncertainties. Finally, the estimation of the Virgo sensitivity in the frequency-domain is described and typical sensitivities measured during VSR2 are shown.Comment: 30 pages, 23 figures, 1 table. Published in Classical and Quantum Gravity (CQG), Corrigendum include

Reconstruction of the gravitational wave signal h(t)h(t) during the Virgo science runs and independent validation with a photon calibrator

The Virgo detector is a kilometer-scale interferometer for gravitational wave detection located near Pisa (Italy). About 13 months of data were accumulated during four science runs (VSR1, VSR2, VSR3 and VSR4) between May 2007 and September 2011, with increasing sensitivity. In this paper, the method used to reconstruct, in the range 10 Hz-10 kHz, the gravitational wave strain time series $h(t)$ from the detector signals is described. The standard consistency checks of the reconstruction are discussed and used to estimate the systematic uncertainties of the $h(t)$ signal as a function of frequency. Finally, an independent setup, the photon calibrator, is described and used to validate the reconstructed $h(t)$ signal and the associated uncertainties. The uncertainties of the $h(t)$ time series are estimated to be 8% in amplitude. The uncertainty of the phase of $h(t)$ is 50 mrad at 10 Hz with a frequency dependence following a delay of 8 $\mu$s at high frequency. A bias lower than $4\,\mathrm{\mu s}$ and depending on the sky direction of the GW is also present.Comment: 35 pages, 16 figures. Accepted by CQ

The variable finesse locking technique

Virgo is a power recycled Michelson interferometer, with 3 km long Fabry-Perot cavities in the arms. The locking of the interferometer has been obtained with an original lock acquisition technique. The main idea is to lock the instrument away from its working point. Lock is obtained by misaligning the power recycling mirror and detuning the Michelson from the dark fringe. In this way, a good fraction of light escapes through the antisymmetric port and the power build-up inside the recycling cavity is extremely low. The benefit is that all the degrees of freedom are controlled when they are almost decoupled, and the linewidth of the recycling cavity is large. The interferometer is then adiabatically brought on to the dark fringe. This technique is referred to as variable finesse, since the recycling cavity is considered as a variable finesse Fabry-Perot. This technique has been widely tested and allows us to reach the dark fringe in few minutes, in an essentially deterministic way

Astrophysically Triggered Searches for Gravitational Waves: Status and Prospects

In gravitational-wave detection, special emphasis is put onto searches that focus on cosmic events detected by other types of astrophysical observatories. The astrophysical triggers, e.g. from gamma-ray and X-ray satellites, optical telescopes and neutrino observatories, provide a trigger time for analyzing gravitational wave data coincident with the event. In certain cases the expected frequency range, source energetics, directional and progenitor information is also available. Beyond allowing the recognition of gravitational waveforms with amplitudes closer to the noise floor of the detector, these triggered searches should also lead to rich science results even before the onset of Advanced LIGO. In this paper we provide a broad review of LIGO's astrophysically triggered searches and the sources they target

Biopsia tendínea em equinos com tendões hígidos e com tendinite agura induzida pela colagenase: estudo preliminar

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