Exploring quantum aspects of gravitational-wave detectors
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: School of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
Einstein's general theory of relativity is currently our fundamental theory about spacetime and matter. It is an elegant theory and explains the observed astronomical phenomena very well. It also predicts the existence of gravitational waves, which are ripples in spacetime propagating at the speed of light. By detecting gravitational waves created by cosmic objects such as black holes, we aim to open a new window on the Universe through gravitational-wave astronomy. The efforts for detecting gravitational waves started almost half a century ago and have turned out to be one of the most challenging endeavours in experimental science, because the amplitudes of the expected waves are extremely small. The state-of-the-art approach for gravitational wave detection is using kilometre-scale laser interferometer with tens-of-kilograms mirrors as test masses. Several such interferometric detectors have been built around the world. Their sensitivity is so great that, even though they use macroscopic components, their performance is affected and limited by tiny quantum effects. The proposed research is aiming at better understanding the various quantum aspects of gravitational wave detectors. On the one hand, this leads to new approaches to overcome the quantum-limits of current detectors, which is an essential step for realizing the ultimate goal of gravitational-wave astronomy. On the other hand, it opens up the possibility to explore quantum behaviours of macroscopic objects in a new regime.
Publications
Abbott BP
(2017)
GW170814: A Three-Detector Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Coalescence.
in Physical review letters
Abbott BP
(2017)
GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral.
in Physical review letters
Abbott BP
(2018)
GW170817: Implications for the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background from Compact Binary Coalescences.
in Physical review letters
Abbott BP
(2018)
Prospects for observing and localizing gravitational-wave transients with Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo and KAGRA.
in Living reviews in relativity
Abbott BP
(2018)
Search for Tensor, Vector, and Scalar Polarizations in the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background.
in Physical review letters
Albert A
(2017)
Search for high-energy neutrinos from gravitational wave event GW151226 and candidate LVT151012 with ANTARES and IceCube
in Physical Review D
Albert A
(2019)
Search for Multimessenger Sources of Gravitational Waves and High-energy Neutrinos with Advanced LIGO during Its First Observing Run, ANTARES, and IceCube
in The Astrophysical Journal
Branford D
(2018)
Fundamental Quantum Limits of Multicarrier Optomechanical Sensors.
in Physical review letters
Brown D
(2017)
Broadband sensitivity enhancement of detuned dual-recycled Michelson interferometers with EPR entanglement
in Physical Review D
Burns E
(2019)
A Fermi Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor Search for Electromagnetic Signals Coincident with Gravitational-wave Candidates in Advanced LIGO's First Observing Run
in The Astrophysical Journal
| Description | Birmingham Fellow (permanent faculty position) |
| Amount | £0 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Birmingham |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2016 |
| Description | Enhancing gravitational wave detector sensitivity and bandwidth for astronomy |
| Amount | $1,097,000 (AUD) |
| Funding ID | DP170104424 |
| Organisation | Australian Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Australia |
| Start | 01/2017 |
| End | 12/2021 |
| Description | The Royal Society International Exchanges Scheme |
| Amount | £12,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IEC\NSFC\170345 |
| Organisation | The Royal Society |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 03/2019 |
| Description | LIGO Scientific Collaboration |
| Organisation | LIGO Scientific Collaboration |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have been working on different approaches to improving quantum-limited sensitivity of advanced gravitational-wave detectors. My research outcome provides direct inputs to current R&D of techniques for both near-term upgrade of current detectors and building the next-generation gravitational-wave observatories. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They provide complimentary sets of expertise to my research. For example, my theoretical analysis is focusing on experimental setups that my partners are working on, and their feedback is essential to my research. |
| Impact | Please refer to the publications with LIGO Scientific Collaboration as the author list. The most significant output is the recent breakthrough discovery of gravitational waves from merging of binary black holes. |
| Description | A unified framework for improving quantum-limited detector sensitivity |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is a talk that I gave at Amaldi 12 Gravitational-Wave Conference held at Pasadena California. This is one of the largest international conference on gravity-related research. I talked about a unified framework for improving quantum-limited sensitivity of gravitational-wave detectors. This is based upon the recent breakthrough understanding of fundamental quantum limit of detector sensitivity. The audiences showed great interests to the topic, and asked many detailed questions after the talk. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://amaldi12.org |
| Description | An interview by China Global Television Network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | On March 14, 2017, I was interviewed by China Global Television Network (formerly CCTV International) to comment on Steven Hawking's life and legacy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzAvyDiFalw |
| Description | CCTV America Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | I was interviewed by CCTV America to report on the breakthrough discovery of gravitational waves by LIGO. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrVfHStGVlU |
| Description | Conditional Frequency Dependent Squeezing via EPR Entanglement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is a talk given at the LSC-VIRGO Collaboration September Meeting in Geneva, where I presented an new idea of improving gravitational-wave detector sensitivity based upon quantum entanglement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Conditional frequency dependent squeezing via EPR entanglement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is a talk that I gave at the largest annual meeting of LIGO Scientific Collaboration and VIRGO Collaboration which was held at CERN Geneva. I talked about a new idea of improving the quantum-limited sensitivity of advanced gravitational-wave detectors by using the famous Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen quantum entanglement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.et-gw.eu/index.php/news/119-lsc-virgo-meeting-2017 |
| Description | Design Concepts for High-Frequency Gravitational Wave Detectors |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is an invited talk at the KITPC Workshop on Gravitational Waves 2018 in Beijing. The audiences are international colleagues in the gravitational-wave community. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://2018gw.csp.escience.cn/ |
| Description | Fundamental Quantum Limit of Gravitational-wave Detectors |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is a talk presented in the 9th Nottingham Symposium on Quantum Systems held by the University of Nottingham. The audiences are colleagues from the University of Nottingham. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Fundamental quantum limit of gravitational-wave detectors |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This is an invited talk that I gave at 9th Nottingham Symposium on Quantum Systems which was held in University of Nottingham. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | GWADW 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This is a workshop on advanced gravitational-wave detectors. I have been actively involved in group discussions about techniques for improving quantum-limited detector sensitivity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://agenda.infn.it/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=10512 |
| Description | Gravitational-wave Astronomy and Quantum-limited Instruments |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This is a talk given at Tianqin Research Centre in the Sun Yat-Sen University. I gave an overview of the research in our Insititute for Gravitational-Wave Astronomy at Birmingham. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Gravitational-wave astronomy and quantum-limited instruments |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This is a talk that I gave at the Tianqin Research Centre in the Sun Yat-Sen University (SYSU). It provided an overview of research activities of Birmingham Institute of Gravitational Wave Astronomy, and aimed at establishing collaborations between Birmingham and SYSU which hosts a strong gravitational-wave group. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Interview for the breakthrough discovery of merging binary neutron stars |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | I was interviewed by the media of University of Birmingham to comment on the breakthrough discovery of binary neutron stars, which marks the dawn of multi-messenger astronomy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2017/10/Scientists-celebrate-first-direct-observation-of-co... |
| Description | LVC Meeting September 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk to report on the fundamental quantum limit to the sensitivity of gravitational-wave detectors. This is one of the key topics proposed in this funding award. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://einstein.astro.gla.ac.uk/lvc2016/ |
| Description | LVC meeting September 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I gave a tutorial on future advanced gravitational-wave detectors to postgraduate students. This is a part of the LIGO Academic Affairs Council (LAAC) tutorials to inform students in the collaboration of advanced topics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://einstein.astro.gla.ac.uk/lvc2016/ |
| Description | Laser Interferometric Gravitational Wave Detectors-Where Gravity Meets Quantum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to give a seminar on quantum aspects of laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors at the Quantum Engineering Technology Labs in the University of Bristol. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Prospects of Improving Detector at Low Frequencies and High Frequencies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is an invited talk given at the LSC-VIRGO Collaboration March Meeting in Sonoma State University, which is the largest annual meeting of the collaboration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://ligo.sonoma.edu/ |
| Description | Quantum Limits of Laser Interferometric Gravitational Wave Detectors |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This is a seminar given at Tsinghua State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Quantum Techniques in Laser interferometric Gravitational Wave Detectors |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is a talk given at the Workshop on Quantum Sensors for Fundamental Physics held in Oxford. The audiences are colleagues from both quantum measurement and particle physics community. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Towards the Design of Gravitational-wave Detectors for Neutron-star Physics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This is a seminar given at Tsinghua University Centre for Astrophysics (THCA), where I reported a new design of gravitational-wave detector for probing neutron star physics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Towards the design of gravitational-wave detectors for neutron-star physics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This is a seminar that I gave at the Tsinghua University Centre for Astrophysics (THCA). It was about a new conceptual design of a gravitational-wave detector for probing new physics during the merger phase of binary neutron stars. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |