Human Gravity-Gradient Noise in Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Detectors

Abstract

Among all forms of routine human activity, the one which produces the strongest gravity-gradient noise in interferometric gravitational-wave detectors (e.g. LIGO) is the beginning and end of weight transfer from one foot to the other during walking. The beginning and end of weight transfer entail sharp changes (timescale tau ~ 20msec) in the horizontal jerk (first time derivative of acceleration) of a person's center of mass. These jerk pairs, occuring about twice per second, will produce gravity-gradient noise in LIGO in the frequency band 2.5 Hz <~ f <~ 1/(2 tau) ~= 25 Hz with the form sqrt{S_h(f)} \~0.6 X 10^{-23} Hz^{-1/2} (f/10Hz)^{-6} (sum_i (r_i/10m)^{-6})^{1/2}. Here the sum is over all the walking people, r_i is the distance of the i'th person from the nearest interferometer test mass, and we estimate this formula to be accurate to within a factor 3. To ensure that this noise is neglible in advanced LIGO interferometers, people should be prevented from coming nearer to the test masses than r ~= 10m. A r ~= 10m exclusion zone will also reduce to an acceptable level gravity gradient noise from the slamming of a door and the striking of a fist against a wall. The dominant gravity-gradient noise from automobiles and other vehicles is probably that from decelerating to rest. To keep this below the sensitivity of advanced LIGO interferometers will require keeping vehicles at least 30 meters from all test masses.