Explore the vast range of titles available.

We investigate the evolution of gravitational waves through discontinuous evolution (transition) of the Hubble expansion rate H(z) at a sudden cosmological singularity, which may be due to a transition of the value of the gravitational constant. We find the evolution of the scale factor and the gravitational wave waveform through the singularity by imposing the proper boundary conditions. We also use existing cosmological data and mock data of future gravitational wave experiments (the ET) to impose current and anticipated constraints on the magnitude of such a transition. We show that mock data of the Einstein Telescope can reduce the uncertainties by up to a factor of three depending on the cosmological parameter considered.

The Einstein Telescope (ET) will be a third-generation Gravitational Wave (GW) detector that will tackle cutting-edge technological challenges. The ET will be constructed at a depth of 200–300 m to isolate it from vibrations caused by seismic waves and human activities, which are sources of noise for GW detection. To meet the ET’s objectives, it will be necessary to improve low-frequency sensitivity by about two orders of magnitude compared to current interferometers (LIGO, Virgo). Magnetic noise is a limiting noise in the frequency range from a few Hz up to around 100 Hz in future GW detectors. This article will discuss the magnetic noise mitigation strategies under development, based on experiences from Virgo.

KAGRA is a gravitational-wave (GW) detector constructed in Japan with two unique key features: It was constructed underground, and the test-mass mirrors are cooled to cryogenic temperatures. These features are not included in other kilometer-scale detectors but will be adopted in future detectors such as the Einstein Telescope. KAGRA performed its first joint observation run with GEO600 in 2020. In this observation, the sensitivity of KAGRA to GWs was inferior to that of other kilometer-scale detectors such as LIGO and Virgo. However, further upgrades to the detector are ongoing to reach the sensitivity for detecting GWs in the next observation run, which is scheduled for 2022. In this article, the current situation, sensitivity, and future perspectives are reviewed.

The Einstein Telescope is Europe’s next generation gravitational-wave detector. To develop all necessary technology, four research facilities have emerged across Europe: The Amaldi Research Center (ARC) in Rome (Italy), ETpathfinder in Maastricht (The Netherlands), SarGrav in the Sos Enattos mines on Sardinia (Italy) and E-TEST in Liége (Belgium) and its surroundings. The ARC pursues the investigation of a large cryostat, equipped with dedicated low-vibration cooling lines, to test full-scale cryogenic payloads. The installation will be gradual and interlaced with the payload development. ETpathfinder aims to provide a low-noise facility that allows the testing of full interferometer configurations and the interplay of their subsystems in an ET-like environment. ETpathfinder will focus amongst others on cryogenic technologies, silicon mirrors, lasers and optics at 1550 and 2090 nm and advanced quantum noise reduction schemes. The SarGrav laboratory has a surface lab and an underground operation. On the surface, the Archimedes experiment investigates the interaction of vacuum fluctuations with gravity and is developing (tilt) sensor technology for the Einstein Telescope. In an underground laboratory, seismic characterisation campaigns are undertaken for the Sardinian site characterisation. Lastly, the Einstein Telecope Euregio meuse-rhine Site & Technology (E-TEST) is a single cryogenic suspension of an ET-sized silicon mirror. Additionally, E-TEST investigates the Belgian–Dutch–German border region that is the other candidate site for Einstein Telescope using boreholes and seismic arrays and hydrogeological characterisation. In this article, we describe the Einstein Telescope, the low-frequency part of its science case and the four research facilities.

The third-generation instrument era is approaching, and the Einstein Telescope (ET) giant interferometer is becoming a reality, with the potential to be installed at an underground site where seismic noise is about 100 times lower than at the surface. Moreover, new available technologies and the experience acquired from operating advanced detectors are key to further extending the detection bandwidth down to 2–3 Hz, with the possibility of suspending a cryogenic payload. The New Generation of Super-Attenuator (NGSA) is an R&D project aimed at the improvement of vibration isolation performance for thirrd-generation detectors of gravitational waves, assuming that the present mechanical system adopted for the advanced VIRGO interferometer (second generation) is compliant with a third-generation detector. In this paper, we report the preliminary results obtained from a simulation activity devoted to the characterization of a mechanical system based on a multi-stage pendulum and a double-inverted pendulum in a nested configuration (NIP). The final outcomes provide guidelines for the construction of a reduced-scale prototype to be assembled and tested in the “PLANET” laboratory at INFN Naples, where the multi-stage pendulum—equipped with a new magnetic anti-spring (nMAS)—will be hung from the NIP structure.

Cooling down large test masses up to 200 kg, as foreseen for the Einstein Telescope, is a complex challenge combining cutting-edge technological achievements from different disciplines with the experience gained from both room-temperature and cryogenic-temperature detector development communities. We set up an apparatus designed to test cryogenic mechanical suspensions for the payload system. They should have high quality factors and enable sufficient heat extraction greater than 0.3 W. The facility is on a university campus where cryofluid servicing is not feasible. As a result, a system that incorporates conductive cooling technology was developed. The project has two main goals: validating crystalline suspensions in a realistic Einstein Telescope cryogenic payload and testing new solutions for radiative thermal shielding. No particular measures are planned for the vibration isolation system.

This paper proposes a non-smooth controller optimization method and shows the results of ongoing research on the implementation of this method for gravitational-wave applications. Typical performance requirements concerning these type of suspensions are defined in terms of both H[sub.2]- and H[sub.∞]-type constraints. A non-smooth optimization approach is investigated, which allows the use of non-convex cost functions that are often a result of mixed H[sub.2]/H[sub.∞] optimization problems. Besides the controller, the distribution of the actuation is integrated with the optimization to investigate the feasibility of simultaneous controller and actuator optimization. The results demonstrate that the proposed non-smooth optimization method is able to find suitable solutions for the control and actuator distribution that satisfy all required performance and design constraints.

Optical aberrations represent a critical issue for gravitational wave interferometers, as they impact the stability and controllability of the experiment. In the next generation of detectors, the circulating power in the cavity arms is expected to increase by up to a factor of 20 compared to current ones. This significant increase makes the mitigation of power-dependent optical aberrations extremely challenging. In this paper, we describe the problem of absorption in the optics and its role in generating some of the most important wavefront distortions, along with the present compensation strategy. To meet the new stringent requirements, new technologies must be designed, and existing ones upgraded. We present a review of the strategies and concepts in the field of aberration control in gravitational wave detectors and discuss the challenges for future detectors like the high-power operation of the Einstein Telescope.

The Einstein Telescope will be a gravitational wave observatory comprising six nested detectors, three optimized to collect low-frequency signals, and three for high frequency. It will be built a few hundred meters under Earth’s surface to reduce direct seismic and Newtonian noise. A critical issue with the Einstein Telescope design are the three corner stations, each hosting at least one sensitive component of all six detectors in the same hall. Maintenance, commissioning, and upgrade activities on a detector will cause interruptions of the operation of the other five, in some cases for years, thus greatly reducing the Einstein Telescope observational duty cycle. This paper proposes a new topology that moves the recombination and input–output optics of the Michelson interferometers, the top stages of the seismic attenuation chains and noise-inducing equipment in separate excavations far from the tunnels where the test masses reside. This separation takes advantage of the shielding properties of the rock mass to allow continuing detection with most detectors even during maintenance and upgrade of others. This configuration drastically improves the observatory’s event detection efficiency. In addition, distributing the seismic attenuation chain components over multiple tunnel levels allows the use of effectively arbitrarily long seismic attenuation chains that relegate the seismic noise at frequencies farther from the present low-frequency noise budget, thus keeping the door open for future upgrades. Mechanical crowding around the test masses is eliminated allowing the use of smaller vacuum tanks and reduced cross section of excavations, which require less support measures.

Infrasound and seismic waves are supposed to be the main contributors to the gravity-gradient noise (Newtonian noise) of the third-generation subterranean gravitational wave detectors. This noise will limit the sensitivity of the instrument at frequencies below 20 Hz. Investigation of its origin and the possible methods of mitigation have top priority during the designing period of the detectors. Therefore, long-term site characterizing measurements are needed at several subterranean sites. However, at some sites, mining activities can occur. These activities can cause sudden changes (transients) in the measured signal, and increase the continuous background noise, too. We have developed an algorithm based on discrete Haar transform to find these transients in the infrasound signal. We found that eliminating the transients decreases the variation of the noise spectra, and therefore results a more accurate characterization of the continuous background noise. We carried out experiments for controlling the continuous noise. Machines operating at the mine were turned on and off systematically in order to see their effect on the noise spectra. These experiments showed that the main contributor of the continuous noise is the ventilation system of the mine. We also estimated the contribution of infrasound Newtonian noise at MGGL to the strain noise of a subterranean GW detector similar to Einstein Telescope.