• Summer_Projects
• FutureProjects

Here we're listing ideas for undergrad projects of the future along with a few sentence description. Projects need not be only 40m based; can include West Bridge.

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FEA for PonderSq experiment

FEA modelling of mechanical modes of 40m test-masses for investigating whether we will have PIs in the arm cavities when running with higher recycling gain.

FEA modelling of possible thermal lens effects in the arm cavity to see if we will have any kind of thermal-induced stability issues.

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PEM Web Page

Copy over the source from the LIGO PEM page (http://pem.ligo.org/) and edit it for use at the 40m lab.

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Mode Cleaner Resonance Tracking

to measure absorption. Use HOMs or acoustic modes

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Mode Cleaner Lock Loss vs. PRM alignment

The 40m Mode Cleaner gets noisy and loses lock mysteriously and has been doing so for years. One theory is that the reflected beam from the PRM somehow bypasses the isolation of the Faraday Isolator and goes back through the MC and then causes noise in the laser via feedback. We have one Faraday Isolator between the MC and the PRM, and we also have one between the NPRO and the PMC, but maybe this is not enough?

With the rest of the interferometer aligned, we should walk the alignment of the PRM around and look at the noise of the IMC as well as its rate of lock loss. Once we find the hot spot, we want to change the alignment of the ITMs, and see if this takes away the problem. If possible, we should also measure the Faraday Isolation by measuring how much light is returned from the PRM and gets through the MC in the backwards way, by measuring the power on the PSL which leaks through one of the input steering mirrors.

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Doubling Crystal digital controls

• Interface the ovens to the DAQ
• make a screen
• auto-tune the PID loops
• monitor the ratio of IR / green power to see if the builtin temp sensor is a good one

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Temperature Stabilization of the Seismometers

Physical_Environment_Monitoring/Seismometers

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AcroMag Development

1. NPRO
2. Slow controls of the SUS/LSC
3. eventually some of the Vacuum stuff
4. Control instruments through serial interface

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Summary Pages for DetChar

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Scattering

Do things with ringdowns, GigE cameras, etc. to understand scatter.

Dual wavelength scatter comparison

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Seismic hot map

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Seismic State Classifier Using Deep Learning

Revive Mashas Neural Net thing but using more modern stuff and make it display in the control room so that we know what's going on.

1. What states to identify?
2. What time scales?
3. What about noisy seismometer?
4. Classifier for beyond seismic? We could use this for OSEMs and QPDs and PSL stuff to figure out laser death.

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Bounce, Roll, Violin mode tracker

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Big photo maker for optical tables

Linear Rail + Digital Video -> Frame processing to make a single big flat image of the entire table.

Installation of the GigE cameras

BASLER Cameras

HDR Images from GigE Cameras

LUNGO Site Selection Using Satellite Topography Data

We would like to build a 10-40 km detector in a new site. In order to reduce the effects from gravity gradients and wind, we want the BS and ETM buildings to be inside of a mesa, plateau, or small mountain.

Use the new topo data from Surendra at IIT-Hyderabad to find this using some pattern recognition or something. List here the other criteria for site selection: seismic, airports, roads, etc.

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Fourier analysis of high speed images with GigE camera

Run at GigE camera at high speed (>1024Hz) and analyze the high speed images (of any object) in the frequency domain looking for regions of excess noise and correlations with interferometer noise.

https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_rubinstein_see_invisible_motion_hear_silent_sounds_cool_creepy_we_can_t_decide?language=en

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Summary pages

Learned classifiers for overall seismic states or other IFO conditions included in summary pages

NN/Machine Learning

Classifying lockloss @ 40m

Scatter Characterization

Make HDR camera images. Compare measurements to numerical simulations of scatter models.

ALS Yend steering mirrors

Set up PZT steering for Yend green laser. Optimize feedback loop (ML techniques?)

DAFI

Continue development of software tools, particularly those related to low-latency frequency shifting/frequency warping...

RoC control of ETMs by heating

The goal would be to model, design and implement a heating system for our ETMs which can potentially correct for the RoC mismatch between ETMX and ETMY, reducing the contrast defect.

Surface map of mirrors using Chris Mueller technique

As detailed in Chris Mueller's thesis, it is possible to map the HOM resonances in a cavity by breaking the orthogonality of the HG modes by the simple expedient of sticking in a dental tooth-scraper in the beam.

ISS design and implementation

Now that the AOM has been installed in the beam path on the PSL table, design and implementation of an Intensity Stabilization Servo can build on the work done by Chas et. al.

Analog triggering for IMC servo

Put together a fast triggering system that only engages the IMC servo when (say) the transmission crosses some threshold, as opposed to leaving the servo on all the time, as is done now...

Next-Gen folding mirror suspension modeling/FEA

When we eventually switch out the RC folding mirrors, we may also want to consider installing them in an upgraded suspension. Some considerations:

• footprint on the vacuum table (remember that the plan is to replace PR3/SR3, which are on the crowded PR/BS table)
• better angular damping?
• taller tower for lower pendulum resonance?

PyQT GUI for remote control of the AG4395A

Specifically, it would be handy to have a GUI such that we can do the mode-scanning better. We should be able to sit in the control room and hit "measurement restart" which would start a sweep, and then gracefully go to the next peak without destroying the PLL... Should be as simple as a button press sending the appropriate command over GPIB. Fancier application would be to have a remote "live" display of the AG4395A screen while the measurement is running.