Description:

Gravitational-Wave Astronomy: A Look to the Future

Eve Chase, Graduate Student

Since 2015, Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo have detected five binary black hole mergers and one binary neutron star coalescence. The multi-messenger detection of GW170817 initiated a new era of astrophysical discovery, including the first association of a short gamma-ray burst with the merger of two neutron stars, constraints on the neutron star equation of state, and an independent measure of the Hubble constant. Additionally, statistical analyses of the population of stellar-mass black holes detected by LIGO and Virgo are beginning to shed light on binary black hole properties and formation mechanisms. As the collection of gravitational-wave detections grows, we better understand formation scenarios and compact object population properties. I will highlight several proposed ground-based observatories and planned upgrades to current detectors with a focus on the astrophysical gain with each additional interferometer. Future generations of gravitational-wave detections, including Cosmic Explorer and Einstein Telescope, are expected to detect merging binaries out to redshifts greater than z~10, facilitating an estimate of the merger rate and other source properties as a function of cosmological redshift.

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Understanding the Physical Limits of the World's Best Harmonic Oscillator

Vudtiwat Ngampruetikorn, Post-doctoral Researcher

If Galileo's pendulum were as good as today's best oscillator, it
would still be swinging now. Indeed it would have lost only a third
of its initial energy. This analogy illustrates the efficiency of
modern superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. Not only does
it power state-of-the-art accelerators that enable particle physics
research, SRF technology has the potential to transform multiple
research fields, including material science, biology, medicine, energy
and environmental sciences. However, its use has until now been
limited to large-scale experiments due to its cost, complexity, and
size.

In this colloquium, I will give an overview of SRF R&D from the basic
principles to the latest developments. I will detail the challenges
and opportunities for doing fundamental superconductivity research
that has an immediate impact on accelerator technology R&D. This will
be exemplified by my recent work on the effects of surface disorder on
the performance of SRF cavities. Starting from the microscopic theory
of superconductors, I obtain an estimate of the maximum accelerating
field (the force on the beam of charged particles) and provide a
theoretical insight into what limits this field and how it could be
further enhanced. Future and ongoing research directions will also be
discussed.