Study of optical scatterers in coating layers of gravitational wave detector test-mass mirrors
- Document #:
- LIGO-P1700111-v1
- Document type:
- P - Publications
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- Abstract:
- Similar in appearance to images of star clusters, photographs of the LIGO Gravitational Wave detector mirrors illuminated by the standing beam were analyzed with DAOPHOT, an astronomical software tool designed to identify stars within images and extract information about the structure of light point sources. DAOPHOT found hundreds of thousands of weaker, point-like scatterers, uniformly distributed across the mirror surface, ignoring the smear of actual dirt on the mirror. The amplitude distribution of the observed scatterers implies that they extend through the depth of the coating while their sheer number implies a fundamental, thermodynamic origin. Theoretical material science considerations indicate that these scatterers are a likely source of the mirror dissipation and thermal noise, perhaps pointing the way towards a mitigation strategy, improved sensitivity of Gravitational Wave observatories and increased Gravitational Wave detection radius into the Universe.
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