arXiv subjects

S. Whitcomb

Publications and source records attributed to S. Whitcomb.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2007

An all-optical trap for a gram-scale mirror

We report on a stable optical trap suitable for a macroscopic mirror, wherein the dynamics of the mirror are fully dominated by radiation pressure. The technique employs two frequency-offset laser fields to simultaneously create a stiff optical restoring force and a viscous optical damping force. We show how these forces may be used to optically trap a free mass without introducing thermal noise; and we demonstrate the technique experimentally with a 1 gram mirror. The observed optical spring has an inferred Young's modulus of 1.2 TPa, 20% stiffer than diamond. The trap is intrinsically cold and reaches an effective temperature of 0.8 K, limited by technical noise in our apparatus.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2005

A squeezed state source using radiation pressure induced rigidity

We propose an experiment to extract ponderomotive squeezing from an interferometer with high circulating power and low mass mirrors. In this interferometer, optical resonances of the arm cavities are detuned from the laser frequency, creating a mechanical rigidity that dramatically suppresses displacement noise. After taking into account imperfection of optical elements, laser noise, and other technical noise consistent with existing laser and optical technologies and typical laboratory environments, we expect the output light from the interferometer to have measurable squeezing of ~5 dB, with a frequency-independent squeeze angle for frequencies below 1 kHz. This squeeze source is well suited for injection into a gravitational-wave interferometer, leading to improved sensitivity from reduction in the quantum noise. Furthermore, this design provides an experimental test of quantum-limited radiation pressure effects, which have not previously been tested.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2004

Optimal combination of signals from co-located gravitational wave interferometers for use in searches for a stochastic background

This article derives an optimal (i.e., unbiased, minimum variance) estimator for the pseudo-detector strain for a pair of co-located gravitational wave interferometers (such as the pair of LIGO interferometers at its Hanford Observatory), allowing for possible instrumental correlations between the two detectors. The technique is robust and does not involve any assumptions or approximations regarding the relative strength of gravitational wave signals in the detector pair with respect to other sources of correlated instrumental or environmental noise. An expression is given for the effective power spectral density of the combined noise in the pseudo-detector. This can then be introduced into the standard optimal Wiener filter used to cross-correlate detector data streams in order to obtain an optimal estimate of the stochastic gravitational wave background. In addition, a dual to the optimal estimate of strain is derived. This dual is constructed to contain no gravitational wave signature and can thus be used as on "off-source" measurement to test algorithms used in the "on-source" observation.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1999

Observational Limit on Gravitational Waves from Binary Neutron Stars in the Galaxy

Using optimal matched filtering, we search 25 hours of data from the LIGO 40-meter prototype laser interferometric gravitational-wave detector for gravitational-wave chirps emitted by coalescing binary systems within our Galaxy. This is the first test of this filtering technique on real interferometric data. An upper limit on the rate R of neutron star binary inspirals in our Galaxy is obtained: with 90% confidence, R< 0.5/hour. Similar experiments with LIGO interferometers will provide constraints on the population of tight binary neutron star systems in the Universe.

gr-qc↗