Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Jaime Alvarez Sciences

Developing Quantum Noise Diagnostics to Expand the Astrophysical Horizons of the LIGO Gravitational-Wave Detectors

Scholars Journal

This project will expand and optimize LIGO’s quantum noise diagnostic tools to better understand the current limitations of squeezed light. Current tools are too slow and limited, making it difficult to test different parameters quickly and run multiple analyses. The initial focus will be increasing the code’s efficiency so it can process data more quickly, allowing for on-demand diagnostics with more flexibility. The analysis framework will then be extended to support direct comparisons between the quantum noise model, measured strain noise, noise reduction in decibels, and residuals in strain units. Finally, implementing fitting functionalities for the model parameters rather than manual parameter adjustment will allow for more accurate noise diagnostics. Overall, these improvements will enable more precise modeling and faster iteration during the characterization of squeezed light’s performance.