Laser-interferometric gravitational wave detectors, such as those of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO), are the most sensitive position sensors ever built — able to measure length variations of order 10^-19 m, about 1/10,000th the diameter of a hydrogen nucleus. Since the first detection of gravitational waves in 2015, LIGO has gone on to observe hundreds of events, and the push to improve detector range and sensitivity continues.

The ANU Centre for Gravitational Physics has installed hardware at the current LIGO detectors and, as part of the national ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), continues to develop instrumentation to enhance the sensitivity of gravitational wave detectors worldwide.

Advanced LIGO's sensitivity is fundamentally limited by quantum noise in the laser light, and this limit now spans the detectors' entire measurement band. Injecting squeezed states of light has become an established technique for reducing this quantum noise, and implementing it at the required performance level remains a significant technical challenge. The ANU Centre for Gravitational Astrophysics is a lead group within the LIGO Scientific Collaboration on the generation and implementation of squeezed light.

We are seeking Honours and Graduate students to join our group, with projects tailored to each applicant's goals and background. Interested individuals are encouraged to get in touch to discuss potential research topics, by folling the Further Information link below, or visit the Centre for Gravitational Astrophysics website.

Experience with optics and lasers is a must, knowledge of quantum optics and computational skills (e.g. MATLAB) would be beneficial.