755 research outputs found
Theory for the ultrafast ablation of graphite films
The physical mechanisms for damage formation in graphite films induced by
femtosecond laser pulses are analyzed using a microscopic electronic theory. We
describe the nonequilibrium dynamics of electrons and lattice by performing
molecular dynamics simulations on time-dependent potential energy surfaces. We
show that graphite has the unique property of exhibiting two distinct laser
induced structural instabilities. For high absorbed energies (> 3.3 eV/atom) we
find nonequilibrium melting followed by fast evaporation. For low intensities
above the damage threshold (> 2.0 eV/atom) ablation occurs via removal of
intact graphite sheets.Comment: 5 pages RevTeX, 3 PostScript figures, submitted to Phys. Re
Substrate-transferred GaAs/AlGaAs crystalline coatings for gravitational-wave detectors: A review of the state of the art
In this Perspective we summarize the status of technological development for
large-area and low-noise substrate-transferred GaAs/AlGaAs (AlGaAs) crystalline
coatings for interferometric gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. These topics
were originally presented in a workshop{\dag} bringing together members of the
GW community from the laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatory
(LIGO), Virgo, and KAGRA collaborations, along with scientists from the
precision optical metrology community, and industry partners with extensive
expertise in the manufacturing of said coatings. AlGaAs-based crystalline
coatings present the possibility of GW observatories having significantly
greater range than current systems employing ion-beam sputtered mirrors. Given
the low thermal noise of AlGaAs at room temperature, GW detectors could realize
these significant sensitivity gains, while potentially avoiding cryogenic
operation. However, the development of large-area AlGaAs coatings presents
unique challenges. Herein, we describe recent research and development efforts
relevant to crystalline coatings, covering characterization efforts on novel
noise processes, as well as optical metrology on large-area (~10 cm diameter)
mirrors. We further explore options to expand the maximum coating diameter to
20 cm and beyond, forging a path to produce low-noise AlGaAs mirrors amenable
to future GW detector upgrades, while noting the unique requirements and
prospective experimental testbeds for these novel materials.Comment: 13pages, 3 figure
A Cryogenic Silicon Interferometer for Gravitational-wave Detection
The detection of gravitational waves from compact binary mergers by LIGO has opened the era of gravitational wave astronomy, revealing a previously hidden side of the cosmos. To maximize the reach of the existing LIGO observatory facilities, we have designed a new instrument that will have 5 times the range of Advanced LIGO, or greater than 100 times the event rate. Observations with this new instrument will make possible dramatic steps toward understanding the physics of the nearby universe, as well as observing the universe out to cosmological distances by the detection of binary black hole coalescences. This article presents the instrument design and a quantitative analysis of the anticipated noise floor
Searching for gravitational waves from known pulsars
We present upper limits on the amplitude of gravitational waves from 28
isolated pulsars using data from the second science run of LIGO. The results
are also expressed as a constraint on the pulsars' equatorial ellipticities. We
discuss a new way of presenting such ellipticity upper limits that takes
account of the uncertainties of the pulsar moment of inertia. We also extend
our previous method to search for known pulsars in binary systems, of which
there are about 80 in the sensitive frequency range of LIGO and GEO 600.Comment: Accepted by CQG for the proceeding of GWDAW9, 7 pages, 2 figure
First upper limits from LIGO on gravitational wave bursts
We report on a search for gravitational wave bursts using data from the first
science run of the LIGO detectors. Our search focuses on bursts with durations
ranging from 4 ms to 100 ms, and with significant power in the LIGO sensitivity
band of 150 to 3000 Hz. We bound the rate for such detected bursts at less than
1.6 events per day at 90% confidence level. This result is interpreted in terms
of the detection efficiency for ad hoc waveforms (Gaussians and sine-Gaussians)
as a function of their root-sum-square strain h_{rss}; typical sensitivities
lie in the range h_{rss} ~ 10^{-19} - 10^{-17} strain/rtHz, depending on
waveform. We discuss improvements in the search method that will be applied to
future science data from LIGO and other gravitational wave detectors.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures, accepted by Phys Rev D. Fixed a few small typos
and updated a few reference
Setting upper limits on the strength of periodic gravitational waves from PSR J1939+2134 using the first science data from the GEO 600 and LIGO detectors
Data collected by the GEO 600 and LIGO interferometric gravitational wave detectors during their first observational science run were searched for continuous gravitational waves from the pulsar J1939+2134 at twice its rotation frequency. Two independent analysis methods were used and are demonstrated in this paper: a frequency domain method and a time domain method. Both achieve consistent null results, placing new upper limits on the strength of the pulsar's gravitational wave emission. A model emission mechanism is used to interpret the limits as a constraint on the pulsar's equatorial ellipticity
Improving the sensitivity to gravitational-wave sources by modifying the input-output optics of advanced interferometers
We study frequency dependent (FD) input-output schemes for signal-recycling
interferometers, the baseline design of Advanced LIGO and the current
configuration of GEO 600. Complementary to a recent proposal by Harms et al. to
use FD input squeezing and ordinary homodyne detection, we explore a scheme
which uses ordinary squeezed vacuum, but FD readout. Both schemes, which are
sub-optimal among all possible input-output schemes, provide a global noise
suppression by the power squeeze factor, while being realizable by using
detuned Fabry-Perot cavities as input/output filters. At high frequencies, the
two schemes are shown to be equivalent, while at low frequencies our scheme
gives better performance than that of Harms et al., and is nearly fully
optimal. We then study the sensitivity improvement achievable by these schemes
in Advanced LIGO era (with 30-m filter cavities and current estimates of
filter-mirror losses and thermal noise), for neutron star binary inspirals, and
for narrowband GW sources such as low-mass X-ray binaries and known radio
pulsars. Optical losses are shown to be a major obstacle for the actual
implementation of these techniques in Advanced LIGO. On time scales of
third-generation interferometers, like EURO/LIGO-III (~2012), with
kilometer-scale filter cavities, a signal-recycling interferometer with the FD
readout scheme explored in this paper can have performances comparable to
existing proposals. [abridged]Comment: Figs. 9 and 12 corrected; Appendix added for narrowband data analysi
First LIGO search for gravitational wave bursts from cosmic (super)strings
We report on a matched-filter search for gravitational wave bursts from
cosmic string cusps using LIGO data from the fourth science run (S4) which took
place in February and March 2005. No gravitational waves were detected in 14.9
days of data from times when all three LIGO detectors were operating. We
interpret the result in terms of a frequentist upper limit on the rate of
gravitational wave bursts and use the limits on the rate to constrain the
parameter space (string tension, reconnection probability, and loop sizes) of
cosmic string models.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures. Replaced with version submitted to PR
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