Type of contract
Traineeship contract for a period of 4 months within the EGO Optics laboratory in the Interferometer Technology Department, funded by the EGO Consortium.
Description
The Virgo interferometer is the most sensitive gravitational-wave detector in Europe.
It was realized in partnership between the French and Italian institutes CNRS and INFN. Today, there are more than 700 Members in the Virgo Collaboration, representing 129 Institutions in 16 different countries. After the successful observation run of 2019-2020 (https://www.ego-gw.it/blog/2021/11/08/35-new-spacetime-quakes-detected-by-virgo-and-ligo/), a deep modification of the interferometer started in order to give birth to a new generation detector called Advanced Virgo Plus (AdV+). In this new version we will use improved mirrors, higher laser power and signal recycling techniques in order to increase the sensitivity by one order of magnitude. The installation is finished and the instrument is now being commissioned to become fully operative by the end of 2022.
The EGO consortium (European Gravitational Observatory), located in Cascina, near Pisa –Italy, hosts the Virgo detector and has been deeply involved in the design and construction of Advanced Virgo. In particular, the EGO optics group is in charge of the injection system (INJ) and Auxiliary Lasers System (ALS) for AdV+. The signal recycling mirror installation has been one of the major upgrades of AdV+. Adding this mirror forms a new cavity (the Signal Recycling cavity) and makes the lock acquisition of the whole interferometer much more complicated. In order to deal with it, the Auxiliary Laser System has been implemented. More details about this subsystem can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3390/galaxies8040087. As one can notice from the article we made use of optical fibers to propagate the beam towards the different points of the site. It has several advantages such as easing the propagation, the handling and the maintenance of the system but one of the drawbacks is that the environmental noise (acoustic and seismic) easily couple into those fibers. It results in additional phase noise in our signals of interest that can perturb the good functioning of the interferometer. Even if it is sensitive to this environmental noises the version currently installed is anyway working and allow us to go through the locking procedure of the interferometer. However in future upgrades we would like to make the fibers less sensitive to the noise and also to implement an active cancellation of the introduced phase noise.
Assignment
In this frame, in the optics lab of EGO, the student will build an optical set-up (interferometer) able to measure the optical phase noise, artificially inject some environmental noise and investigate on the best way of screening the fiber from it. The work will include collaboration with the noise hunting team, electronics and mechanics departments. Depending on the progresses on this work on the mitigation of the coupling of the noise into the fiber, the student could also work on an active feedback loop able to cancel it.
The found solutions both for the mitigation and the cancellation could be installed on Advanced Virgo.
Requirements
Applicants should be in their last years of study in optics or physics.
The work will be at a level of a bachelor thesis. Good attitude to experimental work is mandatory.
English is required. European citizenship, no criminal convictions.
Place of work
EGO – European Gravitational Observatory – via E. Amaldi n.5 cap 56021 Loc. S. Stefano a Macerata – Cascina (Pisa) ITALY.
Considering the lack of public means of transport to reach the site, it is preferable having a car. EGO also offers a taxi shuttle from Pisa to EGO site at fixed times.
How to apply?
Interested candidates are invited to fill in the Internship Application Form and send it, together with the CV, to internships@ego-gw.it
Further information
For the whole duration of the traineeship, EGO will pay a gross monthly wage of 500,00 euro and offer the lunch service at its canteen during working days to the student.
Privacy and policy
Controller: European Gravitational Observatory – email: ego-gw@pec.it
Responsible for data – email: privacy@ego-gw.it
Under Article 13 of UE Regulation (EU) 2016/79 of the European Parliament and of the Council, required personal data will be exclusively collected and treated for purposes strictly connected to the selection procedure also with the use of computerized procedures, according to current law and regulations concerning the implementation of this kind of activity.
Providing such data to EGO is necessary for the evaluation of participation requirements and of the holding of titles: failure to provide these data may compromise such evaluation.
Data will be kept only for the period required by the selection, evaluation and audit procedures.
EGO guarantees each person the right of access to personal data, as well as the rectification, or erasure or restriction of them, as well as the right to object to their processing; such requests shall be addressed to privacy@ego-gw.it
Closing date for applications
Until position is filled.
Contact
Matthieu Gosselin, PhD
Optics group
Email: matthieu.gosselin@ego-gw.it
Phone: +39 050 752458