Examination procedure
Seminar
Examination procedure notes
The topic of the final seminar will be agreed upon by the student and the lecturer.
Prerequisites
The course is designed for PhD and master students and does not require prior knowledge of General Relativity.
Syllabus
Introductory Lectures: Motivations for gravitational wave (GW) research. Overview of the results obtained by LIGO/Virgo to date.
Basic Theory of Gravitational Waves: Weak-field solution of Einstein's equations. Gravitational wave propagation. Sources. Detection principle.
Interferometry: Michelson interferometer. A conceptual gravitational wave detector.
Useful Mathematical Methods: Description of noise in the time and frequency domains.
Implementation of an Interferometric Gravitational Wave Detector: Seismic noise, thermal noise, quantum noise. Optical cavities (Fabry-Perot, power recycling, signal recycling).
Control Systems: Basic theory of control systems. Pendulum control. Control of an optical cavity (Pound-Drever-Hall technique). Interferometer locking.
Technologies: Vibration isolation, suspensions, mirrors, coatings, squeezing.
Data Analysis Techniques: Coalescing binary systems, bursts, continuous-wave sources. Bayesian inference.
Scientific Results on Gravitational Wave Physics: GW150914, GW170817 and their implications. O3 and O4 runs: from exceptional events to population studies.
Multimessenger Astronomy
Cosmology and Fundamental Physics with Gravitational Waves
Third-Generation Detectors: Scientific goals, technologies.
Outlook.
Bibliographical references
P.R. Saulson - Fundamentals of interferometric GW detectors - World Scientific
M. Maggiore - Gravitational Waves - Oxford
D. Reitze, P.R. Saulson, H. Grote eds. - Advanced interferometric GW detectors - World Scientific
M. Bassan (ed.) - Advanced interferometers and the search for GW - Springer
Papers proposed by the lecturer