Developing Methods of Gravitational Wave Detector Characterization

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Abstract:: The goal of this project is to develop new tools and improve previous methods of gravitational wave detector characterization by making use of data obtained from the 40m LIGO interferometer at Caltech. The purpose of detector characterization is to provide an understanding of noise sources and convey information about the state of a detector and its surroundings. This knowledge is fundamental to distinguish an astrophysical signal from noise and thus make a detection. This project will contribute to such efforts by developing interactive plots for summary pages produced, a feature that will allow for detector characterization data to be presented more clearly and more accessibly on the summary pages. This new addition may help us better gauge the significance of future detections. Additionally, this project will also involve developing a system to measure the acoustic noise of the interferometer to further improve detector characterization. The goal will be to set up multiple microphones and amplifiers along the interferometer to eventually study the coupling of acoustic noise to the differential arm length of the interferometer. Furthermore, a new tab for the acoustic noise measurement will be added to the online summary pages.

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LIGO Document T1600335-v3