L. Pinard

High-sensitivity optical monitoring of a micromechanical resonator with a quantum-limited optomechanical sensor

We experimentally demonstrate the high-sensitivity optical monitoring of a micromechanical resonator and its cooling by active control. Coating a low-loss mirror upon the resonator, we have built an optomechanical sensor based on a very high-finesse cavity (30 000). We have measured the thermal noise of the resonator with a quantum-limited sensitivity at the 10(-19) m/sqrt[Hz] level, and cooled the resonator down to 5 K by a cold-damping technique. Applications of our setup range from quantum optics experiments to the experimental demonstration of the quantum ground state of a macroscopic mechanical resonator.

Titania-doped tantala/silica coatings for gravitational-wave detection

Reducing thermal noise from optical coatings is crucial to reaching the required sensitivity in next generation interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. Here we show that adding TiO2 to Ta2O5 in Ta2O5/SiO2 coatings reduces the internal friction and in addition present data confirming it reduces thermal noise. We also show that TiO2-doped Ta2O5/SiO2 coatings are close to satisfying the optical absorption requirements of second generation gravitational-wave detectors.

The Virgo interferometer

The Virgo gravitational wave detector is an interferometer with 3 km long arms in construction near Pisa to be commissioned in the year 2000. Virgo has been designed to achieve a strain sensitivity of a few times at 200 Hz. A large effort has gone into the conception of the mirror suspension system, which is expected to reduce noise to the level of at 10 Hz. The expected signals and main sources of noise are briefly discussed; the choices made are illustrated together with the present status of the experiment.

A study of coating mechanical and optical losses in view of reducing mirror thermal noise in gravitational wave detectors

Mirror coatings play a crucial role in the performance of laser interferometers devoted to gravitational wave detection such as Virgo and LIGO. Mechanical losses in the coating material limit the sensitivity of the detectors due to the associated mirror thermal noise. The absorption of light in the coating induces a thermal lens in the mirror substrate which reduces the quality of the optical interference and requires sophisticated thermal compensation systems. This paper describes the work ongoing at LMA in order to reduce mechanical losses and optical absorption in the coating. The results obtained by doping Ta2O5 layers and testing different high-index materials are described. Finally the performances of different potential coatings are compared and the results obtained with a 40 kg mirror are reported. Titania doped Ta2O5 shows mechanical losses of 2 × 10−4 and absorption below 0.5 ppm. Nb2O5 appears to be the best competitor from the thermal noise point of view but it has an optical absorption four to five times larger.

Non-planar four-mirror optical cavity for high intensity gamma ray flux production by pulsed laser beam Compton scattering off GeV-electrons

As part of the R&D toward the production of high flux of polarised Gamma-rays we have designed and built a non-planar four-mirror optical cavity with a high finesse and operated it at a particle accelerator. We report on the main challenges of such cavity, such as the design of a suitable laser based on fiber technology, the mechanical difficulties of having a high tunability and a high mechanical stability in an accelerator environment and the active stabilization of such cavity by implementing a double feedback loop in a FPGA.

Measurement of thermal noise in multilayer coatings with optimized layer thickness

A standard quarter-wavelength multilayer optical coating will produce the highest reflectivity for a given number of coating layers, but in general it will not yield the lowest thermal noise for a prescribed reflectivity. Coatings with the layer thicknesses optimized to minimize thermal noise could be useful in future generation interferometric gravitational wave detectors where coating thermal noise is expected to limit the sensitivity of the instrument. We present the results of direct measurements of the thermal noise of a standard quarter-wavelength coating and a low noise optimized coating. The measurements indicate a reduction in thermal noise in line with modeling predictions.

The Virgo Project

The Virgo project is a Italian-French collaboration aiming at the construction of a long baseline interferometric antenna for the detection of gravitational radiation signals of cosmic origin. We describe the principles of the system, and high-light the technical challenges we need to overcome for reaching a sensitiity as low as 10−23Hz−1/2.The gravitational clustering of collisionless particles in an expanding universe is modelled using some simple physical ideas. I show that it is possible to understand the nonlinear clustering in terms of three well defined regimes: (1) linear regime; (2) quasilinear regime which is dominated by scale-invariant radial infall and (3) nonlinear regime dominated by nonradial motions and mergers. Modelling each of these regimes separately I show how the nonlinear two point correlation function can be related to the linear correlation function in hierarchical models. This analysis leads to results which are in good agreement with numerical simulations thereby providing an explanation for numerical results. Using this model and some simple extensions, it is possible to understand the transfer of power from large to small scales and the behaviour of higher order correlation functions. The ideas presented here will also serve as a powerful analytical tool to investigate nonlinear clustering in different models.

Compton scattering off polarized electrons with a high-finesse Fabry–Pérot Cavity at JLab

Abstract We built and commissioned a new type of Compton polarimeter to measure the electron beam polarization at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Virginia, USA). The heart of this polarimeter is a high-finesse monolithic Fabry–Perot cavity. Its purpose is to amplify a primary 300 mW laser beam in order to improve the signal to noise ratio of the polarimeter. It is the first time that a high-finesse Fabry–Perot cavity is enclosed in the vacuum of a particle accelerator to monitor the beam polarization by Compton polarimetry. The measured finesse and amplification gain of the cavity are F=26 000 and G =7300. The electron beam crosses this high-power photon source at an angle of 23 mrad in the middle of the cavity where the photon beam power density is estimated to be 0.85 MW / cm 2 . We have used this facility during the HAPPEX experiment (April–July 1999) and we give a preliminary measurement of Compton scattering asymmetry.

Ion beam sputtering coatings on large substrates : toward an improvement of the mechanical and optical performances

Large mirrors (ø350 mm) having extremely low optical loss (absorption, scattering, wavefront) were coated for the VIRGO interferometer. The new generation of mirrors needs to have a better wavefront and lower mechanical loss. To improve the component wavefront, the corrective coating technique was used. By doping the tantalum pentoxide layers, we improved, for the first time to our knowledge, the multilayer mechanical loss. The first results are discussed.

Cryogenic measurements of mechanical loss of high-reflectivity coating and estimation of thermal noise

We report on low-frequency measurements of the mechanical loss of a high-quality (transmissivity T<5 ppm at λ(0)=1064 nm, absorption loss <0.5 ppm) multilayer dielectric coating of ion-beam-sputtered fused silica and titanium-doped tantala in the 10-300 K temperature range. A useful parameter for the computation of coating thermal noise on different substrates is derived as a function of temperature and frequency.