[en] Noise due to surface charge on gravitational wave detector test masses could potentially become a limiting low frequency noise source in future detectors. It is therefore very important that the behavior of charging noise is experimentally verified so that accurate predictions of charging noise can be made. A torsion balance that is sensitive to small forces has been constructed at the University of Glasgow in order to measure charging noise. In this article the torsion balance apparatus being developed will be described in detail. There will also be a description of the calibration of the instrument and preliminary measurements that have been taken. These measurements show that it is possible to distinguish between the surface charge and polarisation charge on a silica sample. From this measurement it was possible to estimate the surface charge on the silica disc. The remainder of the article will discuss the improvements in sensitivity that have been made which will allow initial measurements of charging noise to begin.

[en] Charging of silica test masses in gravitational wave detectors could potentially become a significant low-frequency noise source for advanced detectors. Charging noise has already been observed and confirmed in the GEO600 detector and is thought to have been observed in one of the LIGO detectors. In this paper, two charge mitigation techniques using glow and corona discharges were investigated to create repeatable and robust procedures. The glow discharge procedure was used to mitigate charge under vacuum and would be intended to be used in the instance where an optic has become charged while the detector is in operation. The corona discharge procedure was used to discharge samples at atmospheric pressure and would be intended to be used to discharge the detector optics during the cleaning of the optics. Both techniques were shown to reduce both polarities of surface charge on fused silica to a level that would not limit advanced LIGO. Measurements of the transmission of samples that had undergone the charge mitigation procedures showed no significant variation in transmission, at a sensitivity of ∼ 200 ppm, in TiO₂-doped Ta₂O₅/SiO₂ multi-layer coated fused silica.

[en] We describe the design and performance of a new source of polarized spins that can be employed in experiments that search for macroscopic interactions between particles with intrinsic spin. In this article we concentrate on the analysis of the performance of the spin source in generating putative scalar-pseudoscalar forces. We outline two methods of calculating the magnitude of such forces and compare the predictions of the models. We discuss the manufacture of the spin source and the measurements that we have carried out in order to place upper limits on systematic effects that would limit the sensitivity of such searches. We have shown, in a recent article to Physical Review Letters [G. D. Hammond, C. C. Speake, C. Trenkel, and A. Pulido-Paton, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 081101 (2007)], that the combination of the spin source together with the torque sensitivity of our torsion balance improves constraints on the coupling strength of macroscopic scalar-pseudoscalar interactions by 10 orders of magnitude at a range of 1 mm. This paper further supports that work and provides a detailed description and characterization of the spin source

[en] The international network of gravitational wave detectors is currently undergoing sensitivity upgrades (aLIGO, aVIRGO and GEO-HF) which will lead to the first detection and subsequent observation of a rich variety of astrophysical sources. To obtain a factor of 10 improvement in the strain sensitivity at low frequencies requires the use of ultralow mechanical loss materials and monolithic fused silica suspensions, optimized mirror coatings and the development of cutting edge techniques to super-polish and figure the interferometer optics. The possibility of applying incremental upgrades to the second generation detectors can be realized by making small but significant changes to the suspensions and/or optical mirror coatings. This includes the use of longer suspensions to increase the dissipation dilution, the development of techniques to reduce the surface loss in fused silica suspensions and methods to lower the mechanical loss from the metal springs used to support the test mass. Such upgrades can potentially improve the strain sensitivity by a factor of 2.5. Looking beyond 2015, the development of techniques to further improve the sensitivity by one order of magnitude are discussed. The third generation detectors will be located underground and will be operated at cryogenic temperatures. At low temperatures, silicon is a particularly promising candidate material as it displays good thermal conductivity, high tensile strength and zero thermal expansion coefficient at 120 K, 18 K and T → 0 K. (paper)

[en] High purity fused silica has become the cornerstone choice for use in the final monolithic stage of the mirror suspensions in the gravitational wave observatories Advanced LIGO (aLIGO) and Advanced Virgo (AdV). The ultra-low thermal noise contributed by these suspensions is one of the key improvements that permitted the Nobel prize winning first direct measurement of gravitational waves in 2015. This paper outlines the first in situ study undertaken to analyse the thermal noise of the final monolithic stage of the aLIGO Hanford detector mirror suspensions. We analysed short operational periods of this detector, when high excitation of the transverse ‘violin’ modes of the silica suspension fibres occurred. This allowed detailed measurements of the Q-factor of violin modes up to order 8 of individual fibres on separate masses. We demonstrate the highest silica fibre violin mode Q-factors yet measured of up to 2 × 10⁹. From finite element modelling, the dominant surface and weld losses have been calculated to be a factor of 3 to 4 better than previously accepted, and as a result, we demonstrate that the level of noise in the aLIGO final stage silica suspensions is around 30%–40% better than previously estimated between frequencies of 10–500 Hz. This leads to an increase in the estimated event rate by a factor of 2 for aLIGO, if suspension thermal noise became the main limitation to the sensitivity of the detector. (paper)

[en] Studies of the mechanical loss of silicon flexures in a temperature region from 5 to 300 K are presented, where the flexures have been prepared by different fabrication techniques of interest for the construction of suspension elements of future interferometric gravitational wave detectors. A lowest mechanical loss of 3 × 10⁻⁸ was observed for a 130 μm thick flexure at around 10 K. While the mechanical loss follows the thermo-elastic predictions down to 50 K, at lower temperatures the observed loss is found to be a function of surface roughness. This surface loss is of interest for all applications using silicon-based oscillators at low temperatures. The extraction of a surface loss parameter using results from our measurements and those of other authors is presented and the relevance for future gravitational wave detector suspensions is discussed. A surface loss parameter α_s = 0.5 pm was obtained. This reveals that the surface loss of silicon is significantly lower than the surface loss of fused silica. (paper)

[en] Further improvements in the low frequency sensitivity of gravitational wave detectors are important for increasing the observable population of astrophysical sources, such as intermediate mass compact black hole binary systems. Improvements in the lower stage mirror and suspension systems will set challenging targets for the required thermal noise performance of the cantilever blade springs, which provide vertical softness and, thus, isolation to the mirror suspension stack. This is required due to the coupling between the vertical and horizontal axes due to the curvature of the Earth. This can be achieved through use of high mechanical Q materials, which are compatible with cryogenic cooling, such as crystalline silicon. However, such materials are brittle, posing further challenges for assembly/jointing and, more generally, for long-term robustness. Here, we report on experimental studies of the breaking strength of silicon at room temperature, via both tensile and 4-point flexural testing; and on the effects of various surface treatments and coatings on durability and strength. Single- and multi-layer DLC (diamond-like carbon) coatings, together with magnetron-sputtered silica and thermally-grown silica, are investigated, as are the effects of substrate preparation and argon plasma pre-treatment. Application of single- or multi-layer DLC coatings can significantly improve the failure stress of silicon flexures, in addition to improved robustness for handling (assessed through abrasion tests). Improvements of up to 80% in tensile strength, a twofold increase in flexural strength, in addition to a 6.4 times reduction in the vertical thermal noise contribution of the suspension stack at 10 Hz are reported (compared to current Advanced LIGO design). The use of silicon blade springs would also significantly reduce potential ‘crackling noise’ associated with the underlying discrete events associated with plastic deformation in loaded flexures. (paper)

[en] One of the most significant limits to the sensitivity of current, and future, long-baseline interferometric gravitational wave detectors is thermal displacement noise of the test masses and their suspensions. This paper reports results of analytical and experimental studies of the limits to thermal noise performance of cryogenic silicon test mass suspensions set by two constraints on suspension fibre dimensions: the minimum dimensions required to allow conductive cooling for extracting incident laser beam heat deposited in the mirrors; and the minimum dimensions of fibres (set by their tensile strength) which can support test masses of the size envisaged for use in future detectors. We report experimental studies of breaking strength of silicon ribbons, and resulting design implications for the feasibility of suspension designs for future gravitational wave detectors using silicon suspension fibres. We analyse the implication of this study for thermal noise performance of cryogenically cooled silicon suspensions. (paper)

[en] The search for gravitational wave signals from astrophysical sources has led to the current work to upgrade the two largest of the long-baseline laser interferometers, the LIGO detectors. The first fused silica mirror suspensions for the Advanced LIGO gravitational wave detectors have been installed at the LIGO Hanford and Livingston sites. These quadruple pendulums use synthetic fused silica fibers produced using a CO₂ laser pulling machine to reduce thermal noise in the final suspension stage. The suspension thermal noise in Advanced LIGO is predicted to be limited by internal damping in the surface layer of the fibers, damping in the weld regions, and the strength of the fibers. We present here a new method for increasing the fracture strength of fused silica fibers by laser polishing of the stock material from which they are produced. We also show measurements of mechanical loss in laser polished fibers, showing a reduction of 30% in internal damping in the surface layer. (paper)

[en] The second generation of large scale interferometric gravitational wave (GW) detectors will be limited by quantum noise over a wide frequency range in their detection band. Further sensitivity improvements for future upgrades or new detectors beyond the second generation motivate the development of measurement schemes to mitigate the impact of quantum noise in these instruments. Two strands of development are being pursued to reach this goal, focusing both on modifications of the well-established Michelson detector configuration and development of different detector topologies. In this paper, we present the design of the world's first Sagnac speed meter (SSM) interferometer, which is currently being constructed at the University of Glasgow. With this proof-of-principle experiment we aim to demonstrate the theoretically predicted lower quantum noise in a Sagnac interferometer compared to an equivalent Michelson interferometer, to qualify SSM for further research towards an implementation in a future generation large scale GW detector, such as the planned Einstein telescope observatory. (paper)