Design and sensitivity of a 6-axis seismometer for gravitational wave observatories

• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2307.12891
• Publication Date: 2024-02-20
• Authors: Leonid Prokhorov; Sam Cooper; Amit Singh Ubhi; Conor Mow-Lowry; John Bryant; Artemiy Dmitriev; Chiara Di Fronzo; Christopher J. Co...; Alex Gill; Alexandra Mitchell; Joscha Heinze; Jiri Smetana; Tianliang Yan; Alan V. Cumming; Giles Hammond; Denis Martynov
• Keywords: Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors; 0103 physical sciences; FOS: Physical sciences; Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det); Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics; 7. Clean energy; 01 natural sciences; Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)

We present the design, control system, and noise analysis of a 6-axis seismometer comprising a mass suspended by a single fused silica fiber. We utilize custom-made, compact Michelson interferometers for the readout of the mass motion relative to the table and successfully overcome the sensitivity of existing commercial seismometers by over an order of magnitude in the angular degrees of freedom. We develop the sensor for gravitational-wave observatories, such as LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA, to help them observe intermediate-mass black holes, increase their duty cycle, and improve localization of sources. Our control system and its achieved sensitivity makes the sensor suitable for other fundamental physics experiments, such as tests of semiclassical gravity, searches for bosonic dark matter, and studies of the Casimir force. Published by the American Physical Society 2024