The commissioning of the central interferometer of the Virgo gravitational wave detector

Search ScienceDirect Advanced Outline Abstract PACS Keywords 1. Introduction 2. The central interferometer 3. Central interferometer operation 4. Central interferometer performances 5. Discussion and perspectives References Figures (17) Fig. 1. Optical layout of the Virgo interferometer Fig. 2. Optical configuration of the central interferometer Fig. 3. 3D view of one of the end mirrors mounted in the holder Fig. 4. 3D view of the mirror suspension Fig. 5. Schematic lay-out of the device used for the measurement of the mirror position… Fig. 6. Recycled power as measured with the B5 photodiode when the recycling cavity… Tables (4) Table 1 Table 2 Table 3 Table 4 Elsevier Astroparticle Physics Volume 21, Issue 1, April 2004, Pages 1-22 Astroparticle Physics The commissioning of the central interferometer of the Virgo gravitational wave detector Author links open overlay panelVirgo CollaborationF.AcerneseaP.AmicobN.ArnaudcD.BabuscidR.BarilléeF.BaroneaL.BarsottifM.BarsugliacF.BeauvillegM.A.BizouardcC.BoccarahF.BonduiL.BosibL.BraccijS.BraccinifC.BradaschiafA.Brilleti…M.Yvertg Show more https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2003.12.004Get rights and content Abstract Virgo is a laser Michelson interferometer with 3-km long Fabry–Perot in the arms, aiming at the detection of gravitational waves emitted by astrophysical sources in the frequency band from 10 Hz to few kHz. The core of the detector, the central interferometer, was installed first. It is a recycled Michelson interferometer, with 6-m long arms, obtained by replacing the 3-km long Fabry–Perot cavities with high reflectivity mirrors and using the same components designed for Virgo. In particular all the mirrors of the interferometer are suspended from the seismic isolators that represent the main unique characteristic of the Virgo detector. The interferometer has been controlled by means of a fully digital control system, capable of monitoring and controlling the relative position of the mirrors with an accuracy of 10−12 m. The best displacement sensitivity was 10−13 m/√Hz at 10 Hz and 8 × 10−17 m/√Hz above 1 kHz. This article describes the detector configuration, the tests performed in view of commissioning the full detector and the main results obtained.