Initial results from the LIGO Newtonian calibrator

Ross, M. P. et al. (2021) Initial results from the LIGO Newtonian calibrator. Physical Review D, 104(8), 082006. (doi: 10.1103/PhysRevD.104.082006)

Abstract

The precise calibration of the strain readout of the LIGO gravitational wave observatories is paramount to the accurate interpretation of gravitational wave events. This calibration is traditionally done by imparting a known force on the test masses of the observatory via radiation pressure. Here, we describe the implementation of an alternative calibration scheme: the Newtonian calibrator. This system uses a rotor consisting of both quadrupole and hexapole mass distributions to apply a time-varying gravitational force on one of the observatory’s test masses. The force produced by this rotor can be predicted to < 1 % relative uncertainty and is well resolved in the readout of the observatory. This system currently acts as a cross-check of the existing absolute calibration system.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: LIGO was constructed by the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operates under Cooperative Agreement No. PHY-0757058. Advanced LIGO was built under Grant No. PHY-0823459. Participation from the University of Washington, Seattle, was supported by funding from the NSF under Grants No. PHY-1607385, No. PHY-1607391, No. PHY-1912380, and No. PHY1912514.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Datrier, Ms Laurence
• Authors: Ross, M. P., Mistry, T., Datrier, L., Kissel, J., Venkateswara, K., Weller, C., Kumar, K., Hagedorn, C., Adelberger, E., Lee, J., Shaw, E., Thomas, P., Barker, D., Clara, F., Gateley, B., Guidry, T. M., Daw, E., Hendry, M., and Gundlach, J.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Physical Review D
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• ISSN: 1550-7998
• ISSN (Online): 1550-2368
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 American Physical Society
• First Published: First published in Physical Review D 104(8):082006
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy