Abstract
The success of a precision experiment is often associated to the use of low temperature techniques. In particular, when the thermal noise is a barrier for improving the experiment sensitivity, the cryogenics is crucial for beating this limitation. This strategy was applied in the case of the resonant gravitational wave detectors (GW) and now it is proposed for the future generation of the GW interferometers. In the following we summarize the history of GW detectors and we recall some of the basic principles of the cryogenic techniques. Then, we focus on the issues of cooling the mirrors of a GW interferometer.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
Here we cite just few experiments among the several ones. A more detailed bibliography can be found in [7].
- 2.
The Joule–Thomson cryocoolers are based on an adiabatic expansion of the gas through an impedance orifice or a valve. This procedure is called a throttling process, and it permits to cool the gas when it is kept below its inversion temperature.
- 3.
During the cold war, the USA, Russia, and other countries stockpiled tens of thousands of nuclear weapons, and in doing so accumulated vast amounts of \(^3\)He. Initially, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and its predecessor agencies, which have maintained the US tritium stockpile, used to consider the gas useless and they considered to vent it into the atmosphere. In the 1980s, however, scientists began to realize the potential of \(^3\)He as a neutron detector and the price skyrocketed.
- 4.
The liquid phase above the \(\lambda \) point is named He-I.
- 5.
The high thermal conductivity allows also for the propagation of temperature waves (called second sound), which are reflected and diffracted as standard waves, but which give rise to temperature variations in small regions.
- 6.
The idea of using a reaction mass to control a suspended mirror has been originally pursued by the GEO group [25].
- 7.
This technique is applied also in the cooling process of all the GW resonant antennas.
References
J. Weber, Detection and generation of gravitational waves. Phys. Rev. 117, 306 (1960)
J. Weber, Evidence for discovery of gravitational radiation. Phys. Rev. Lett. 22, 1320 (1969)
M. Lee, D. Gretz, S. Steppel, J. Weber, 1979 Gravitational radiation detector observations in 1973 and 1974. Phys. Rev. D19, 893 (1979)
J.L. Levine, B. Garwin, New negative results for gravitational wave detection and comparison with reported detector. Phys. Rev. Lett. 33, 794 (1974)
D.H. Douglass, R.O. Gram, J.A. Tyson, R.W. Lee, Two-detector-coincidence search for bursts of gravitational radiation. Phys. Rev. Lett. 35, 480 (1975)
B.W.P. Drever, J. Hough, B. Bland, G.W. Lessnoff, Search for short bursts of gravitational radiation. Nature 246, 340 (1973)
O.D. Aguiar, Res. Astron. Astrophys. 11, 1–42 (2011)
W. Fairbank, The use of low-temperature technology in gravitational wave experiments, in Proceedings of the International School on Experimental Gravitation (Italy, Varenna, 1972), p. 280
E. Mauceli, Z.K. Geng, W.O. Hamilton, W.W. Johnson, S. Merkowitz, A. Morse, The Allegro gravitational wave detector: data acquisition and analysis. Phys. Rev. D 54, 1264 (1996)
P. Astone, M. Bassan, P. Bonifazi, P. Carelli, M.G. Castellano, G. Cavallari, E. Coccia, C. Cosmelli, V. Fafone, S. Frasca, E. Majorana, I. Modena, G.V. Pallottino, G. Pizzella, P. Rapagnani, F. Ricci, M. Visco, Long-term operation of the Rome "Explorer" cryogenic gravitational wave detector. Phys. Rev. D47, 362 (1993)
P. Astone, M. Bassan, P. Bonifazi, P. Carelli, E. Coccia, C. Cosmelli, V. Fafone, S. Frasca, A. Marini, G. Mazzitelli, Y. Minenkov, I. Modena, G. Modestino, A. Moleti, G.V. Pallottino, M.A. Papa, G. Pizzella, P. Rapagnani, F. Ricci, F. Ronga, R. Terenzi, M. Visco, L. Votano, Astropart. Phys. 7, 231 (1997)
M. Cerdonio, M Bonaldi, D. Carlesso, E. Cavallini, S. Caruso, A. Colombo, P. Falferi, G. Fontana, P.L. Fortini, R. Mezzena, A. Ortolan, G.A. Prodi, L. Taffarello, G. Vedovato, S. Vitale, J.P. Zendri, The ultracryogenic gravitational-wave detector AURIGA. Class. Quant. Grav. 14, 1491 (1997)
F. Acernese et al., First joint gravitational wave search by the AURIGA EXPLORER NAUTILUS Virgo Collaboration. Class. Quant. Grav. 25, 205007 (2008)
L. Tisza, C. R. Acad. Sci. 207, 1035, 1186 (1938)
F. London, Phys. Rev. 54, 947 (1938)
L.D. Landau, J. Phys. (USSR) 5, 7 (1941)
L.D. Landau, J. Phys. (USSR) 11, 91 (1947)
G. Bon Mardion, G. Claudet, P. Seyfert, Practical data on steady state heat transport in superfluid helium at atmospheric pressure. Cryogenics 19, 45 (1979)
P. Astone, M. Bassan, P. Bonifazi, E. Coccia, C. Cosmelli, Noise behaviour of the EXPLORER gravitational wave antenna during the l transition to superfluid phase. Cryogenics 32, 668 (1992)
P. Puppo, F. Ricci, Cryogenics and Einstein telescope. Gen. Relativ. Gravit. 43, 657–669 (2011)
F. Ricci, Low temperature and future gravitational wave experiments, ed. by J. Dumarchez, J.T.T. Van, in Proceedings of the XLIInd Rencontres de Moriond, Gravitational Waves and Experimental Gravity, vol. 177 (The Gioi Publishers, 2007)
E.I. Mikulin, A.A. Tarasov, M.P. Shkrebyonock, Low temperature expansion pulse tubes. In Advances in Cryogenic Engineering, vol. 29 (Plenum Press, New York, 1984), pp. 629–637
S. Zhu, P. Wu, Z. Chen, Double inlet pulse tube refrigerators: an important improvement. Cryogenics 30, 514 (1990)
S. Caparrelli, E. Majorana, V. Moscatelli, E. Pascucci, M. Perciballi, P. Puppo, P. Rapagnani, F. Ricci, Vibration-free cryostat for low-noise applications of a pulse tube cryocooler. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 77, 095102 (2006)
M.V. Plissi, K.A. Strain, Aspects of the suspension system for GEO600. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 69, 3055 (1998)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ricci, F. (2014). Low Temperature and Gravitation Wave Detectors. In: Bassan, M. (eds) Advanced Interferometers and the Search for Gravitational Waves. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 404. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03792-9_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03792-9_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-03791-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-03792-9
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)