New welding technology and the local existence of a
major pipe fabrication company enables lowcost manufacture of vacuum pipe.
An innovative new vacuum pipe design that includes reduced height continuous
spiral baffles for stray light absorption enables the diameter to be reduced,
thus requiring fewer stiffening rings.
The vacuum pipe will be fabricated on site in long lengths to reduce joins
and handling expenses.
The combination of a flat stable sand site and a simple solar bake-out pipe
enclosure saves infrastructure costs. Other detectors needed massive earthworks,
deep foundations and a large-scale pipe enclosure.
There is no need to develop and construct vibration isolation systems because
full-scale systems have already been created at the Gingin facility.
The detector will use the best aspects of the digital control systems of
the LIGO and Virgo detectors to avoid enormous developmental costs.
The detector will be realised as a direct extension of the existing 80m
interferometer. This saves on infrastructure costs, vacuum pumps and vacuum
monitoring.
Data will be processed through the existing LIGO Scientific Collaboration,
of which Australian physicists already make up 10% of the total scientific
personnel. New dedicated, large computer installations will not be required.
The project will make use of the developments of very high bandwidth communication
systems and supercomputer infrastructure already planned for Australia.
An illustration of a fully assembled isolator.
