Measure size distribution and overall count of particulate collected in the LIGO Hanford Observatory vacuum system.
EMSL Project ID
42898
Abstract
The LIGO Hanford Observatory has been tracking contamination within the vacuum system using 4 inch silicon wafers as witness plates. The plates have been exposed to the vacuum system, and are now ready for analysis. The vital information the witness plates hold, is a bound on the number and size distribution of particulate per square centimeter. This information will guild the plans for cleaning within the vacuum system, and serve as a measure of the initial level of contamination, giving us a way to measure the success of the cleaning process. The LIGO project planned to make this measurement in-house, and plans for that are still in process, but are not going to be ready in the next month, and as a startup program, the results are not guaranteed to be free of systemic error. EMSL resources would provide LIGO with an independent analysis of the witness plates from an experienced analysis team, and deliver the results faster than the LIGO project can at this time.
Project Details
Project type
Limited Scope
Start Date
2011-02-01
End Date
2011-04-03
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator