Application for LCGT membership

Prof. Riccardo DeSalvoUniversity of Sannio

Benevento, Italy

The University of Sannio

• University of Sannio group (prof. I. Pinto) has a history of collaboration with TAMA

• Later joined LSC, working on Data analysis and on mirror development (in collaboration with me)

The University of Sannio (2)

• With the start of LCGT the Sannio group is re-organizing to support LCGT

• Initially with mirror coating, mechanics, controls, eventually with data analysis

• The group will formally apply in the next few months

• The mechanics contribution is urgent• => Individual pre-application to LCGT

What about me, and why LCGT

• I am a physicist loves to work with new technologies and do precision engineering

• I have a string of achievements in many areas of experimental physics

• I have already contributed with TAMA-SAS• I like to work with, and train young scientists• It would be a great privilege to contribute my

work to make LCGT a success

Why join LCGT ?

• It was great working in Japan for TAMA and with Kuraray and other Japanese projects.

• LCGT selected SAS, one of my best concepts, of which I am very proud

• LCGT is the first underground GW detector, leading to the 3rd generation, and it is a great new challenge ! !

What can I do for LCGT

• I spent 15 years perfecting the SAS technique and understanding the behavior of the necessary materials

• I’d like to put this effort to good use

• My most important contribution to LCGT would therefore be to develop and implement its SAS seismic isolation, working with Takahashi

What else can I do for LCGT

• I have :– Experience in Vacuum techniques

– Experience with mirror and coating development (Pinto, Mexican hat interferometer)

– Considerable experience with underground operations. I am the son of a miner, I worked extensively in tunnels in CERN and Fermilab, and most recently in DUSEL and fully appreciate the problems involved.

What can I bring to LCGT

• I worked in Virgo and LIGO as they developed• I learned what was relevant and what’s not• I can contribute this experience

• I started studying the problems of third generation observatories (DUSEL-ET) – e.g. the xylophone concept

• I can help LCGT to become the 3rd generation pathfinder

What else can I bring to LCGT

• I enjoy collaborations and I have always worked with a wide variety of scientists

• Hearing that I may join LCGT, a number of scientists from Italy, Netherlands and the US have already expressed a desire to collaborate with me in LCGT

What can I do besides LCGT

• I have R&D ideas about improving material performance both in springs and coatings

• During my life I dealt with ~ 100 students and young scientists, some Japanese

• I can suggest student thesis projects and mentor them

Conclusion

• It would be a great privilege for me to be accepted into the LCGT team

My academic and research history

• 1979 Atomic spectroscopy master thesis at University of Pisa on super-radiant pulses in Cs

(building lasers, tests on laser assisted gene splitting)

• 1980 Apply for graduate studies– Accepted to Ecole Normale Superieure de Paris– Instead, I was directly offered an unsolicited research

fellowship (postdoc) at CERN • (I became the youngest postdoc at CERN)

CERN postdoc (1980-1983)

• Built lasers for calibration of drift chambers• In charge of the beam detectors of the SPS

experimental halls (~ 1000 photomultipliers)• Developed drift chambers for luminosity

monitor and p-pbar cross section measurement at SPS collider

• I built the apparatus for Jim Cronin’s lifetime experiment

Cornell postdoc/staff scientist (1984-1987)

• Design/build large collider drift chamber• Design/build elastic scattering

experiment at Fermilab• Design/build CESR Beryllium pipe/vertex drift

chamber collision region• Contributed tracker designs for SSC and CEBAF

CERN staff scientist (1988-1993)

• Spaghetti calorimetry development program– Development of scintillating/wavelength shifting

fibers with Kiowa-gas/Kuraray• Invention/development of Hybrid Photo Diode– (Work also with Hamamatsu)

• Quartz fiber calorimetry development• Work on avalanche photo diodes– It explains why CMS e.m. calorimeter has false

readings

Switch to Gravitational Waves (1994)

• I returned to Italy • I chose to work at Virgo on the fascinating and

challenging field of Gravitational Wave Detection

Virgo INFN scientist (1994-1997)

• Design/Prototype the superattenuators– Introduce maraging for springs– Eliminate shear clamps

• Design/Prototype accelerometers

• Some interest in vacuum pipe & baffle design

LIGO Caltech scientist (1998-2010)

• Develop GAS filters and SAS structure

• Design Hongo-SAS and TAMA-SAS (Takamori)

• Design/Build/test HAM-SAS

• Provide design for AEI-SAS and NIKHEF-SAS for Virgo

LIGO Caltech scientist (1998-2010)

• Mesa beam experiment to reduce mirror thermal noise

• Design of optimized coating mirrors (Pinto)

• Directional radiative cooling (Kawamura-kun)

LIGO Caltech scientist (1998-2010)

• Identified problem with mechanical noise from SOC of dislocations

• Work on glassy metal springs/flexures• Work on creep• Development of techniques for third

generation, experience in underground GW observatories, NN subtraction, . . .

• Serve on Vacuum Review board

Publications

• I have written or contributed to 270+ publications, most on refereed scientific journals

• I have two patents• I am editing a book on Optical coatings