Gravitational Wave (GW) Detectors, Optics, Quantum Optics, Squeezing, Metrology
Experimental activities and responsibilities
Responsible of:
- low losses Faraday Isolators (FIs)in air and in vacuum for the injection of the frequency dependent squeezing (FDS) in Advanced Virgo+ for next observing run O4
- optical design and assembly of the homodyne detector for FDS at Virgo
- optomechanical design of SIPS (Suspended Interferometer for Ponderomotive Squeezing). Experiment aiming at reducing quantum noise in the detection band of ground- based GW detectors
Work published: Eur. Phys. J. D (2020) 74: 227 DOI: 10.1140/epjd/e2020-10183-7
- optical design of EPR squeezer for Advanced Virgo (co-responsible). Project funded by INFN for the realisation of a squeezer based on quantum entanglement (Einstein Podolsky Rosen) principle for broadband quantum noise reduction in Virgo.
- optical design integration of SIPS and EPR squeezer for Advanced Virgo. Work presented at GW science and technology Symposium (GRASS) 2019 and published on Zenodo (2020) DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3569196. The integration of EPR with SIPS will allow to test broadband quantum noise reduction in a suspended table-top interferometer before possible application on large scale interferometers such as Advanced Virgo.
- R&D studies for the generation of Frequency Independent Squeezing for Virgo. Work published on Rev. Sci. Instrum., Vol. 92, 054504 (2021) DOI: 10.1063/5.0046317
nov. 2019: Visiting Researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and collaboration with MIT-LIGO team for an experiment for the direct measurement of the thermal noise of mirror coatings, to study a strategy to improve coating thermal noise of GW ground-based detectors.
2018: R&D Studies on the Straylight for the future space mission LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, space-based GW detector to be launched in 2034). Work presented at the international conference NANOP 2018 and published on Open Mater. Sci. 2019; 5:12-18 (2019) DOI: 10.1515/oms-2019-0002
Teaching / tutoring activities and responsibilities
- Co-supervisor of a PhD. student in theoretical and applied mechanics for the study and realisation of the local and global control system of SIPS interferometer.
- Tutoring of last year Master student in Astrophysics: Thesis work on the optical design for laser injection in SIPS
- Tutoring of master students for research activities of Physics and Astrophysics Laboratory classes since 2016: studies of the micro-crack occurring in fused silica monolithic suspensions of Advanced Virgo and mechanical quality factor of a joint produced with a 3D machine measured in air, in vacuum and ambient and cryogenic temperatures.
- Tutoring of a summer stage student from the “Institut d’Optique de Paris-Saclay” at Virgo (summer 2021)
- Laser Safety Course. 2019 for INFN Roma1 @ Univ. La Sapienza
- Tutoring of last year bachelor student in Physics: Thesis work on “The squeezing technique to overcome the standard quantum limit in the advanced gravitational wave detectors”.
- Tutoring of the research stage activity of a summer student of the second year for the bachelor’s degree in physics coming from the US for the exchange program of the LIGO-Virgo collaboration
