BIO

Born in 1975, Michèle studied physics in Hannover (diploma thesis at the „Institut für Atom- und Molekülphysik, Abteilung Spektroskopie“ on the topic of „Long-term frequency stabilisation of a Nd:YAG laser system for GEO600“). She defended her PhD in Dec. 2004 at the Institute for Gravitational Physics on „Gravitational waves in a new light: novel stabilisation schemes for solid state lasers“and was a PostDoc at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics from 2005 to 2007. From 2007 to 2010, she was a PostDoc at the University of New South Wales (Australia) in the group of Elanor Huntington. In July 2010, she returned to Hannover to take up a junior professorship on „Fundamental Noise Sources in Laser Interferometers“ within the Centre of Excellence QUEST (Quantum Engineering and Space-Time Research). Since 2016 she is a professor of experimental physics at Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH) and works in the field of „Non-classical laser interferometry“ and “Quantum Control”. In 2017 she received the teaching award of LUH (and the faculty of Mathematics and Physics).

Michèle is a long-time member and, since 2015, a council member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC). She is Dean of QUEST Leibniz Forschungsschule, an interdisciplinary faculty at LUH, and principal investigator in two Centres of Excellence, PhoenixD and QuantumFrontiers. She is a founding member of the German Centre for Astrophysics (Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik, DZA). Her research interests are non-classical light sources („squeezed light“), in particular at high frequencies, quantum radiation pressure noise reduction techniques (such as Coherent Quantum Noise Cancellation), quantum optomechanics, precision metrology, and novel laser stabilisation techniques, metamaterials, as well as high-bandwidth high-efficiency photodetection and controls.

ABSTRACT:

Since the first direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015, we have gained an entirely new observation window to the universe. The sensitivity of these interferometers is so incredible that the quantum effects of the laser light  have become limiting. Ultra-precisely stabilised lasers do not suffice; non-classical light is already routinely employed in the current generation of gravitational wave detectors (e.g. aLIGO & AdVirgo). Other noise sources, such as seismic and thermal noise, pose further challenges for next-generation detectors.

 To achieve ever-higher detection rates for meaningful gravitational wave astronomy, ever-greater detection sensitivity is required. I will briefly introduce the principle of  interferometric gravitational wave detection (for any students present) and highlight some of the advanced technologies implemented. The European Project „Einstein Telescope“, a third-generation observatory, will also feature. I will conclude my talk by showing some further possibilities related to this, as well as options for quantum noise reduction in laser interferometry and the broader field of quantum optics.

At the end of the talk, I’ll also be happy to talk a bit about the newly-funded German Centre for Astrophysics (Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik, DZA).

Hosted by: Prof. Dr. Adrian Bachtold