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MiniGRAIL “Extreme Make-over”. Giorgio Frossati Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory Leiden University In collaboration with ROG group AURIGA-group.
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MiniGRAIL “Extreme Make-over” Giorgio Frossati Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory Leiden University In collaboration with ROG group AURIGA-group
The spherical gravitational wave antenna MiniGRAIL is being prepared for the next cool-down, using the experience acquired with the last cool-down of 2005. The problems found were: 1- Lack of sensitivity of the transducers when cooled to 60mK. The thermally excited resonance were barely above the thermal noise. The best spectral strain sensitivity was ~8x10-21 /√Hz , still more than two orders of magnitude lower than the quantum limit of 4x10-23/√Hz 2- Instability of the SQUIDs due to RF noise and too high an intrinsic SQUID noise 3- Relatively low cooling power of the dilution refrigerator limiting the minimum sphere temperature to 60 mK.
Improve sensitivity • new transducers: • Larger surface area • Smaller mass 6 new transducers
Decrease the external EM perturbations: -Super-conducting shielding -Magnetic (Glasmet) shielding -Low frequency vibrations damping 6 new transducers
Improve transducer read out: super-conducting and magnetic shielding 6 new transformers 6 new transducers
Improve SQUID sensitivity: super-conducting and Mu-metal shielding 2-stage Twente 6 new transformers New double SQUIDs 2-stage Trento 6 new transducers
new dilution refrigerator unit: Super-conducting and mu-metal shielding 6 new transformers new dilution refrigerator • large surface mixing chamber and heat exchangers • expected cooling power of at least 50 microW at 30 mK 6 new transducers