Gravitational Waves

As predicted by Einstein’s general relativity theory, gravitational waves carry extremely valuable information related to extreme events occurring in the universe. The nature of black holes and heavy stars, as well as early cosmological events, can be probed with gravitational waves. Gravitational waves are generated by the highest energetic processes in the universe. In 2015, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detected gravitational waves for the first time. The next step in the characterization of these waves is the development of the Einstein Telescope. The Einstein Telescope EMR Site Technology (E-TEST) project aims to build a cryogenic damping prototype for the Einstein Telescope. E-TEST includes large silicon, suspended and cooled down at cryogenic temperatures around 20 K.

The Space Instrumentation section is involved in the development of a single-frame white light interferometer to characterize the cryogenic mirrors for a gravitational wave detector. This is essential to ensure the accuracy of the results in the detection of gravitational waves. The instrument will reach a sub-nanometer resolution in the characterization of the mirror topology and the local and global vibrations will be also measured during the cooling process.