Masahiro Kamiizumi

Mirror actuation design for the interferometer control of the KAGRA gravitational wave telescope

KAGRA is a 3-km cryogenic interferometric gravitational wave telescope located at an underground site in Japan. In order to achieve its target sensitivity, the relative positions of the mirrors of the interferometer must be finely adjusted with attached actuators. We have developed a model to simulate the length control loops of the KAGRA interferometer with realistic suspension responses and various noises for mirror actuation. Using our model, we have designed the actuation parameters to have sufficient force range to acquire lock as well as to control all the length degrees of freedom without introducing excess noise.

Characterization of the room temperature payload prototype for the cryogenic interferometric gravitational wave detector KAGRA

KAGRA is a cryogenic interferometric gravitational wave detector currently under construction in the Kamioka mine in Japan. Besides the cryogenic test masses, KAGRA will also rely on room temperature optics which will hang at the bottom of vibration isolation chains. The payload of each chain comprises an optic, a system to align it, and an active feedback system to damp the resonant motion of the suspension itself. This article describes the performance of a payload prototype that was assembled and tested in vacuum at the TAMA300 site at the NAOJ in Mitaka, Tokyo. We describe the mechanical components of the payload prototype and their functionality. A description of the active components of the feedback system and their capabilities is also given. The performance of the active system is illustrated by measuring the quality factors of some of the resonances of the suspension. Finally, the alignment capabilities offered by the payload are reported.

Active damping performance of the KAGRA seismic attenuation system prototype

The Large-scale Cryogenic Gravitational wave Telescope (formerly LCGT now KAGRA) is presently under construction in Japan. This May we assembled a prototype of the seismic attenuation system (SAS) for the beam splitter and the signal recycling mirrors of KAGRA, which we call Type-B SAS, and evaluated its performance at NAOJ (Mitaka, Toyko). We investigated its frequency response, active damping performance, vibration isolation performance and long-term stability both in and out of vacuum. From the frequency response test and the active damping performance test, we confirmed that the SAS worked as we designed and that all mechanical resonances which could disturb lock acquisition and observation are damped within 1 minute, which is required for KAGRA, by the active controls.