Dissertation
Gravitational wave detection, detector characterization, and parameter estimation using a network of interferometer detectors
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
12/2006
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000005659
Abstract
Although the existence of gravitational waves have been indirectly proven, the direct
detection of the ¯rst gravitational wave will mark a signi¯cant turning point in the under-
standing of gravitational waves (GW) and gravity in general. For decades there have been several narrow band bar detectors in operation but it has only been the last decade that the most promising gravitational wave detectors have begun to come online. The broad band detectors possess the ability to see a large portion of the known frequencies that are expected from theories which are physically unavailable to bar detectors. Considering that GW signals are inherently weak, inspiral signals are very promising sources for both Earth based and space based interferometer detectors due to their known waveforms. The duration that a signal is available to a given detector increases the chances of detection signi¯cantly. With several interferometer detectors currently operating across the globe and the commissioning of the ¯rst space based detector in the coming years, two of the few remaining hurdles that are covered in this dissertation are maintaining the detector sensitivity to signals and making the very ¯rst direct detection of a GW. Owning to the fact that these interferometric detectors are composed of some of the most advanced laser systems in existence, they require many monitoring tools that assist in characterizing the state of the detectors. One such tool detailed herein would be GainMon, which is a software tool that allows operators to monitor the long baseline Fabry-Perot cavities for drifts in the unity gain frequencies (UGF). Once it has been determined that the detector is in an acceptable operating state, the data that it collects must then be studied to determine if a signal is present. If the detector is incapable of recovering source parameters within a certain degree of accuracy then a detection serves as nothing more than a mathematical challenge with little science to be gained. Therefore if a signal is identi¯ed, some constraints must be placed on the results that indicate how accurately the recovered signal agrees with the actual source.
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Details
- Title
- Gravitational wave detection, detector characterization, and parameter estimation using a network of interferometer detectors
- Creators
- Aaron Matthew Rogan
- Contributors
- Sukanta Bose (Chair) - Washington State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Physics and Astronomy
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 166
- Identifiers
- 99901054736901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation