A/Prof Bram Slagmolen

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About
I have been working on the developent of measurement technologies and hardware implementations for the detection of gravitaitonal waves, and in particular for the Laser Interfeormeter Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). The research system developments are predominantly based around optical laser interferometry. Currently my focus is on the development of sensors for low-frequency gravitational force signals due to seismic and atmospheric disturbances, as well as the development of new technologies and implementations required for improvements of the performance of current and future, next generation, gravitational wave detectors.
At the LIGO Hanford Observatory I commissioned the first 4 km optical cavity to test the arm legnth stabilisation system. I designed and managed the delivery of 30 Tip-Tilt small optic suspensions to Advanced LIGO, now used to direct the laser beam onto the photodiodes which register the gravitaitonal wave signals. I was the last chiar of the Australian Consortium for Interferometric Gravitational Astronomy (ACIGA), when superseeded by the Centre of Excellence for Gravitational wave Discovery (OzGrav). In addition, I was a committee member of the Multi-Messenger Astronomy Advisory Committee (MMAAC) which advises multi-messenger astronomy matters to the board of Australia Astronomy Limited (AAL).
Affiliations
- Gravitational Wave Detection, Administrator
Projects
- Calibrate gravitational wave detectors, Supervisor
- Dual torsion pendulum for quantum noise limited sensing, Supervisor
- Fibre optic sensor arrays for vibrometry and acoustic sensing, Supervisor
- High-bandwidth stabilisation of a 2µm-band laser, Supervisor
- Low-noise offset-phase locking and heterodyne interferometry with 2µm-band lasers, Supervisor
- Machine learning for optics and controls, Supervisor
- Measurement of optical and mechanical losses of mirror coatings, Supervisor
- Prospects of future ground-based gravitational-wave detector network, Supervisor
- Quantum squeezed states for interferometric gravitational-wave detectors, Supervisor
- Spatial laser mode analysis for thermal noise measurements in optical cavities, Supervisor
- Vibration control for optical interferometry, Supervisor