Soutenance de Richard Pedurand
| When |
Dec 19, 2019
from 09:30 to 11:30 |
|---|---|
| Where | Salle des thèses |
| Contact Name | Richard Pedurand |
| Attendees |
Richard Pedurand |
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The resolution limit of gravitational wave interferometers is set by their mirrors' Brownian motion – or thermal noise - in the central part of their detection band, from 10Hz to 1kHz. This thermal noise frequency distribution is given by the mechanical energy dissipation mechanisms it originates from, in agreement with the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. This dissipation mainly derives from the optical coatings deposited on the mirrors to give them their reflectivity. To reduce this thermal noise, a new generation of gravitational wave detectors employing mirrors cooled to cryogenic temperature has been suggested.
The development of new optical thin-film materials with low mechanical dissipation, operating at both room and cryogenic temperatures, therefore requires new experimental tools. The main object of this thesis is the construction of a new instrument, the CryoQPDI, which is an association between a high-resolution interferometer and a cryostat based on a pulse tube cooler. It can directly measure the Brownian motion of a microcantilever between 300 K and 7 K. By combining measurements made on a microcantilever before and after the deposition of a thin film, it is possible to characterize the internal mechanical dissipation of this thin film. This instrument will eventually contribute to the optimisation of optical coatings of future gravitational wave detectors, aiming at minimizing the limitations due to thermal noise.