Gravitational-Wave Detection at the Twilight of the Dawn

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• Jan Harms
• Wednesday 06 November 2013, 14:00-15:00
• Physics West 117.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Ilya Mandel.

With the successful commissioning of the first generation of laser-interferometric gravitational-wave detectors, we began to master a technology that will open a new window to our universe. The challenges to realize the second generation of detectors, and to conceive future directions for further developments of these instruments have inspired scientists around the world to investigate the limits of current technology with respect to seismic isolation, thermal-noise suppression, and the design of quantum-non-demolition techniques. One goal of these efforts is to extend the detection band to lower frequencies. This endeavor however is strongly impeded by a foreground of terrestrial gravity perturbations. With this presentation, we will take a bold step and look at the feasibility of ground-based gravitational-wave detection at sub-Hz frequencies. We will outline a path towards developing sub-Hz detectors, and at the same time the exercise will teach us important lessons about the terrestrial gravity foreground, and inspire us to venture out into a completely new field: the exploration of the dynamics of terrestrial gravity.

This talk is part of the Astrophysics Talks Series series.

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• Astrophysics Talks Series
• Bham Talks
• Physics West 117
• What's on in Physics?

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