MADE@NIKHEF: Gravitational Waves - new tools for the Einstein Telescope

Tuesday 27 Jun 2023, 11:00 → 13:00 Europe/Amsterdam

Let's dig deeper into how to build instruments to detect gravitational waves!

At the next MADE@NIKHEF---held Tuesday, 27 June---Nikhef's Gravitational Waves group will show off some of their state-of-the-art development projects. In particular, they will show the main interferometer simulation software (called Finesse) and new hardware for preventing even the smallest vibrations from reaching the mirrors (the OmniSens project). These tools play a crucial role in preparing a detailed design for the Einstein Telescope (ET), a proposed new gravitational wave observatory in Europe.

ET will be able to detect a thousand times more sources than the current state-of-the-art interferometer observatories, such as LIGO and Virgo. To do this, ET requires a new approach to vibration suppression. OmniSens uses laser interferometers (called HoQI) and glass springs to break through a wall of low-frequency noise and observe events deep into cosmic time.

Finesse (Frequency domain interferometer simulation software) is used to understand the fundamental detector behavior and requirements for the ET interferometer---to reduce noise levels to maximize detecting more sources and new sources further away. With Finesse, a user can build any kind of virtual laser interferometer using a wide variety of optical, mechanical and electronic components.

In this MADE@NIKHEF event, we want to showcase Nikhef's technical contributions to the Einstein Telescope.

Everyone is welcome to attend!

Tentative Programme
11:00 Welcome and general introduction MADE@NIKHEF
11:05-11:30 Introduction to Nikhef Gravitation waves group, Finesse, 6D project, Q&A
11:30-13:00 Guided tours and lunch in SP110