Frequency dependence of thermal noise in gram-scale cantilever flexures
We present measurements of the frequency dependence of thermal noise in aluminum and niobium flexures. Our measurements cover the audio-frequency band from 10 Hz to 10 kHz, which is of particular relevance to ground-based interferometric gravitational wave detectors, and span up to an order of magni...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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Other Authors: | |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
American Physical Society,
2015-12-16T14:55:06Z.
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | Get fulltext |
Summary: | We present measurements of the frequency dependence of thermal noise in aluminum and niobium flexures. Our measurements cover the audio-frequency band from 10 Hz to 10 kHz, which is of particular relevance to ground-based interferometric gravitational wave detectors, and span up to an order of magnitude above and below the fundamental flexure resonances. Results from two flexures are well explained by a simple model in which both structural and thermoelastic loss play a role. The ability of such a model to explain this interplay is important for investigations of quantum-radiation-pressure noise and the standard quantum limit. Furthermore, measurements on a third flexure provide evidence that surface damage can affect the frequency dependence of thermal noise in addition to reducing the quality factor, a result which will aid the understanding of how aging effects impact on thermal noise behavior. Australian Research Council |
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