No Arabic abstract
We study a cross-shaped cavity filled with superfluid $^4$He as a prototype resonant-mass gravitational wave detector. Using a membrane and a re-entrant microwave cavity as a sensitive optomechanical transducer, we were able to observe the thermally excited high-$Q$ acoustic modes of the helium at 20 mK temperature and achieved a strain sensitivity of $8 times 10^{-19}$ Hz$^{-1/2}$ to gravitational waves. To facilitate the broadband detection of continuous gravitational waves, we tune the kilohertz-scale mechanical resonance frequencies up to 173 Hz/bar by pressurizing the helium. With reasonable improvements, this architecture will enable the search for GWs in the 1-30 kHz range, relevant for a number of astrophysical sources both within and beyond the Standard Model.
Direct detection of gravitational waves is opening a new window onto our universe. Here, we study the sensitivity to continuous-wave strain fields of a kg-scale optomechanical system formed by the acoustic motion of superfluid helium-4 parametrically coupled to a superconducting microwave cavity. This narrowband detection scheme can operate at very high $Q$-factors, while the resonant frequency is tunable through pressurization of the helium in the 0.1-1.5 kHz range. The detector can therefore be tuned to a variety of astrophysical sources and can remain sensitive to a particular source over a long period of time. For reasonable experimental parameters, we find that strain fields on the order of $hsim 10^{-23} /sqrt{rm Hz}$ are detectable. We show that the proposed system can significantly improve the limits on gravitational wave strain from nearby pulsars within a few months of integration time.
The recent detections of gravitational waves (GWs) reported by LIGO/Virgo collaborations have made significant impact on physics and astronomy. A global network of GW detectors will play a key role to solve the unknown nature of the sources in coordinated observations with astronomical telescopes and detectors. Here we introduce KAGRA (former name LCGT; Large-scale Cryogenic Gravitational wave Telescope), a new GW detector with two 3-km baseline arms arranged in the shape of an L, located inside the Mt. Ikenoyama, Kamioka, Gifu, Japan. KAGRAs design is similar to those of the second generations such as Advanced LIGO/Virgo, but it will be operating at the cryogenic temperature with sapphire mirrors. This low temperature feature is advantageous for improving the sensitivity around 100 Hz and is considered as an important feature for the third generation GW detector concept (e.g. Einstein Telescope of Europe or Cosmic Explorer of USA). Hence, KAGRA is often called as a 2.5 generation GW detector based on laser interferometry. The installation and commissioning of KAGRA is underway and its cryogenic systems have been successfully tested in May, 2018. KAGRAs first observation run is scheduled in late 2019, aiming to join the third observation run (O3) of the advanced LIGO/Virgo network. In this work, we describe a brief history of KAGRA and highlights of main feature. We also discuss the prospects of GW observation with KAGRA in the era of O3. When operating along with the existing GW detectors, KAGRA will be helpful to locate a GW source more accurately and to determine the source parameters with higher precision, providing information for follow-up observations of a GW trigger candidate.
The gravitational wave (GW) has opened a new window to the universe beyond the electromagnetic spectrum. Since 2015, dozens of GW events have been caught by the ground-based GW detectors through laser interferometry. However, all the ground-based detectors are L-shaped Michelson interferometers, with very limited directional response to GW. Here we propose a three-dimensional (3-D) laser interferometer detector in the shape of a regular triangular pyramid, which has more spherically symmetric antenna pattern. Moreover, the new configuration corresponds to much stronger constraints on parameters of GW sources, and is capable of constructing null-streams to get rid of the signal-like noise events. A 3-D detector of kilometer scale of such kind would shed new light on the joint search of GW and electromagnetic emission.
KAGRA is a new gravitational wave detector which aims to begin joint observation with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo from late 2019. Here, we present KAGRAs possible upgrade plans to improve the sensitivity in the decade ahead. Unlike other state-of-the-art detectors, KAGRA requires different investigations for the upgrade since it is the only detector which employs cryogenic cooling of the test mass mirrors. In this paper, investigations on the upgrade plans which can be realized by changing the input laser power, increasing the mirror mass, and injecting frequency dependent squeezed vacuum are presented. We show how each upgrade affects to the detector frequency bands and also discuss impacts on gravitational-wave science. We then propose an effective progression of upgrades based on technical feasibility and scientific scenarios.
We analyze the trajectories of three geostationary satellites forming the GEOstationary GRAvitational Wave Interferometer (GEOGRAWI)~cite{tinto}, a space-based laser interferometer mission aiming to detect and study gravitational radiation in the ($10^{-4} - 10$) Hz band. The combined effects of the gravity fields of the Earth, the Sun and the Moon make the three satellites deviate from their nominally stationary, equatorial and equilateral configuration. Since changes in the satellites relative distances and orientations could negatively affect the precision of the laser heterodyne measurements, we have derived the time-dependence of the inter-satellite distances and velocities, the variations of the polar angles made by the constellations three arms with respect to a chosen reference frame, and the time changes of the triangles enclosed angles. We find that, during the time between two consecutive station-keeping maneuvers (about two weeks), the relative variations of the inter-satellite distances do not exceed a value of $0.05$ percent, while the relative velocities between pairs of satellites remain smaller than about $0.7 {rm m/s}$. In addition, we find the angles made by the arms of the triangle with the equatorial plane to be periodic functions of time whose amplitudes grow linearly with time; the maximum variations experienced by these angles as well as by those within the triangle remain smaller than $3$ arc-minutes, while the East-West angular variations of the three arms remain smaller than about $15$ arc-minutes during the two-weeks period. The relatively small variations of these orbit parameters result into a set of system functional and performance requirements that are less stringent than those characterizing an interplanetary mission.