Published April 21, 2010 | Version v1
Journal article

Accurate calibration of test mass displacement in the LIGO interferometers

  • 1. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)
  • 2. LIGO Hanford Observatory, Richland, WA 99352 (United States)
  • 3. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 (United States)
  • 4. Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244 (United States)
  • 5. Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States)
  • 6. LIGO Livingston Observatory, Livingston, LA 70754 (United States)
  • 7. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201 (United States)

Description

We describe three fundamentally different methods we have applied to calibrate the test mass displacement actuators to search for systematic errors in the calibration of the LIGO gravitational-wave detectors. The actuation frequencies tested range from 90 Hz to 1 kHz and the actuation amplitudes range from 10-6 m to 10-18 m. For each of the four test mass actuators measured, the weighted mean coefficient over all frequencies for each technique deviates from the average actuation coefficient for all three techniques by less than 4%. This result indicates that systematic errors in the calibration of the responses of the LIGO detectors to differential length variations are within the stated uncertainties.

Availability note (English)

Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381/27/8/084024

Additional details

Identifiers

DOI
10.1088/0264-9381/27/8/084024;
PII
S0264-9381(10)36639-3;

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Classical and Quantum Gravity
Journal Volume
27
Journal Issue
8
Journal Page Range
[11 p.]
ISSN
0264-9381
CODEN
CQGRDG

Conference

Title
8. Edoardo Amaldi conference on gravitational waves
Acronym
Amaldi 8
Dates
22-26 Jun 2009
Place
New York, NY (United States)

INIS

Country of Publication
United Kingdom
Country of Input or Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
INIS RN
41097864
Subject category
S46: INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY;
Resource subtype / Literary indicator
Conference
Descriptors DEI
ACTUATORS; AMPLITUDES; CALIBRATION; ERRORS; GRAVITATIONAL WAVE DETECTORS; INTERFEROMETERS; KHZ RANGE; LENGTH; MASS; VARIATIONS
Descriptors DEC
DIMENSIONS; FREQUENCY RANGE; MEASURING INSTRUMENTS; RADIATION DETECTORS