 Wed Oct 16 13:58:59 2024, Luis Martin, Update, VAC, RGA Scan 
|
The following figure displays data acquired on 10/09, and it shows that we are no longer below the cleanliness standard. Also, the system's pressure
went up to 1.9x10-8 Torr (approximately 7x10-9 Torr previously). This might be due to a leak somewhere in the system. More tests
will be performed later. |
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Wed Oct 23 11:48:06 2024, Luis Martin, Update, VAC, Leak Test Results
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[Luke, Luis, Mary, Ma]
On 10/22/24 Luke, Ma, Mary and myself ran a leak test, the results are displayed below. The overall pressure of the vacuum was 2.0e-8 and the
temperature readings were 26C for the RGA and 25C for the main volume. |
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Wed Oct 23 12:08:36 2024, Luis Martin, Update, VAC, RGA Scan
|
[Luke, Luis, Mary, Ma]
On 10/22/24 Luke, Ma, Mary and myself ran a RGA scan, the results are displayed below. The overall pressure of the vacuum was 2.0e-8 and the temperature
readings were 26C for the RGA and 25C for the main volume. |
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Tue Nov 5 09:56:04 2024, Luis Martin, Update, Clean & Bake, MR Bake
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[Luke, Luis]
On Friday, 11/1/24, the MR was unpackaged and cleaned under the flow bench. We noticed an ink stain on one of the corners of the
material. After wiping it down with IPA and Vector Alpha wipes, the stain was removed. However, the material showed some wear.
|
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Tue Nov 5 11:08:40 2024, Luis Martin, Update, VAC, ISO Test
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[Luis, Luke, Ma Michael]
The isolation test was conducted on the vacuum system. Every pump was turned off under vacuum, and pressure measurements were taken
every minute for 15 minutes. The results are displayed in the sheet linked at the end of this report. The pressure of the main volume dropped very slowly.
|
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Wed Nov 20 12:31:24 2024, Luis, Update, VAC, Leak test RGA Scan after vacuum repairs
|
[Luke, Luis]
After the gasket replacement performed on Monday (11/18/24) we let the vacuum pump down to UHV pressure for a couple days. Today (11/20/24) we
measured the pressure to be 5.30*e^-9 with a temperature of 22C, and we performed a leak test and RGA Scan. |
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Fri Jun 14 13:32:13 2024, Liu, Update, Scripts/Programs, COMSOL simulation on rectangular heater elements design 6x
|
I have been looking at the feasibility of an alternative heater element design for FROSTI that replaces the original ring-like heater elements with n
rectangular elements with straight edges. They form an n-sided regular polygon that could well approximate the original annular ring if n is large enough.
This eliminates curved surfaces requirement for the heater elements, which was the source of the many month production delay for the prototype parts. |
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Mon Jun 17 11:47:46 2024, Liu, Infrastructure, General, Temporary cooling units for the labs
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Below are the temporary cooling units installed last week in labs 1119 and 1129. They are the temp. replacement for the building AC system, which will be
shut down during the Physics roof replacement. |
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Fri Jun 21 11:47:30 2024, Liu, Update, Scripts/Programs, COMSOL simulation on alternative straightened heater elements design 6x
|
In the previous post, we saw that for the heater element design with straight
edges in replacement of the current eight-element ring-like design, it provides the similar Gaussian-like irradiance profiles, but with smaller power delivery
efficiencies, as shown in the plot. This turned |
|
Thu Jun 27 11:09:14 2024, Liu, Update, Scripts/Programs, Straight edge STEP files and ray loss analysis
|
Drawings and CAD models of the straight-edge designs are exported, and are visualized in SOLIDWORKS. Two are attached. One is a single edge of the evenly
spaced polygon design with 16 edges, and the other is the 8x2 design, with two neighboring edges grouped together to replace the original single curved
heater.
For the straight edge design in COMSOL, ray power detectors were placed at the heater's front surface. The irradiance is shown in |
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Fri Jul 5 13:17:44 2024, Liu, Update, Interferometer Simulations, Four-quadrant FROSTI-like RH for astigmatic thermal actuation for CE optics 7x
|
In the CE corner layout design and down selection study, interferometer layouts with large incidence angles on some of the curved optics are being considered,
such as the folding mirrors in the "long crab". This however generates astigmatic beams upon reflection and results in mode mismatches in coupled cavities
that need to be mitigated. Astigmatic thermal actuation for the optics involved is thus essential. One way we are considering is to implement a FROSTI-like |
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Fri Jul 5 14:12:32 2024, Liu, Update, Interferometer Simulations, CE BS Mechanical Resonances
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The butterfly and drumhead mechanical modes for the aLIGO BS were calculated in COMSOL. The resonant frequencies for the two acoustic modes are 2.45
kHz and 3.61 kHz, matching the results in reference
for instance.
For a quick projection for the resonant frequencies going from aLIGO to CE, the height and width of the BS are increased assuming |
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Fri Jul 5 14:23:13 2024, Liu, Update, Interferometer Simulations, Engineering drawings for straight edge heater element designs for FROSTI
|
Step files and engineering drawings for the straight edge heater element designs have been created in COMSOL and SolidWorks. They are available in the group
Git
Repo. With those, we will initiate a discussion with the ceramics supplier for an estimate of the feasibility and benefits of the straight edge element |
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Mon Jul 15 09:36:44 2024, Liu, Update, Interferometer Simulations, ETM Profile Optimization for FROSTI
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This is to optimize the FROSTI heating profile for ETM, by minimizing the residual RMSE of the HR surface deformation after the beam size weighted curvature
is removed by the current RH. The parameters of the profile being explored are the location, width, and total power for the Gaussian Annulus. As shown
in the attached series of plots, the optimal location is 9.9 cm, with a width of 7.7 cm, and a total FROSTI power of 12.7 W (for 1 W of Gaussian beam absorption). |
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Mon Jul 29 12:18:52 2024, Liu, Update, Interferometer Simulations, Update on FROSTI O5 ETM profile optimization
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| Update on FROSTI O5 ETM profile optimization is attached. |
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Mon Jul 29 12:20:56 2024, Liu, Update, Interferometer Simulations, Update on wavefront actuation with astigmatically driven RH for CE
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| Update on wavefront actuation with astigmatically driven RH for CE is attached. |
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Mon Jul 29 12:23:10 2024, Liu, Update, Interferometer Simulations, Update on mechanical resonances of CE BS with stiffener ring
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| Update on mechanical resonances of CE BS with stiffener ring is attached. |
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Wed Oct 2 14:49:59 2024, Liu, Update, , FROSTI ETM actuation
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Proposed FROSTI ETM actuation on the HOM7 resonance.
Animation |
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Wed Oct 16 14:13:31 2024, Liu, Update, , FROSTI with non uniform absorption scattering sources
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| Slides |
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Wed Nov 6 13:48:55 2024, Liu, Update, Interferometer Simulations, QN modeling update
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| Slides |
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Wed May 3 19:03:47 2023, Julian,Pamella and Cao, Physics, VAC, Modify vacuum asssembly and install RGA
|
[Pamella, Julian, Cao]
Today we started re-configuring the vacuum chamber components.
Particle count
10:45 am : Starting
the particle count in the clean room.
11:13 am : Finished the particle count in the clean room.
Zone 3 :
0.3 u: 2535
0.5 u: 1413
1.0 u: 789
Zone 4 :
0.3 u: 457
0.5 |
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Fri Jan 27 18:44:31 2023, Julian , Update, General, Vacuum Chanmber Cleaning
|
I used the IPA wipes to wipe down the inside of the chamber the best I could. I cleaned the main chamber but not any of the connecting joints. When I finished
I did a once over with a fresh wipe and found no residue. |
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Wed Jan 18 22:06:05 2023, Julian, Update, ELOG, Cleanroom Update
|
| I wiped down all the inner walls of the cleanroom using alcohol wipes, as per Cao's instruction. |
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Mon Feb 6 20:02:32 2023, Julian, Update, General, Cleanroom Update
|
I wiped down the main table (including frame, legs, and transparent shelf) and workbench using alcohol wipes. Once I cleaned all of the surfaces, I used
the Hepa vacuum to pick up any fallen debris. |
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Sat Feb 11 00:17:27 2023, Julian, Update, General, Vacuum Chamber Cleaning
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Today I finished wiping down the rest of the vacuum chamber, specifically focusing on the connecting ports and outside surface of the chamber. When I was
finished, I test wiped every surface of the chamber and took pictures confirming the current state of cleanliness; Attachment 1 "Wipes for top and bottom
of chamber's upper lip." Attachment 2 " Top and bottom of chamber's lower lip." Attachment 3 "Inside and Outside main chamber." Attachment 4 "Inside connecting |
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Thu Feb 23 21:12:33 2023, Julian, Update, General, Vacuum Chamber Cleaning
|
Today I was able to come in and wipe down both sides of the vacuum chamber lid using the regular alcohol wipes and also wipes that were left to dry in the
fume hood then saturated with acetone. I managed to get a good amount of the residue off both the inside and outside surfaces of the lid, then did a test
wipe of both sides using acetone-soaked wipes; pictures of the wipes are attached below. Once I finished with the lid, I used another acetone wipe to test |
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Thu Mar 2 20:53:56 2023, Julian, Update, General, Cleanroom Update
|
Today Pamella and Julian began the final cleaning of the cleanroom, starting with the HEPA vacuuming and mopping then wiping down every surface of the laser
table. We wiped the main tabletop as well as the legs, but we were unable to completely wipe down the upper frame of the table before we had to leave.
For next steps, Julian will come in on Friday and finish cleaning the frame, then both of us will come in on Monday to finish the final cleaning. |
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Sat Mar 4 00:34:46 2023, Julian, Update, General, Cleanroom Update
|
Today I was able to finish cleaning the frame of the laser table, and for good measure I wiped down the tabletop and exterior of the vacuum chamber when
I was finished. I was also able to go through and wipe down the bags containing the vacuum parts as well as the tabletop of the workbench. |
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Thu Mar 23 18:40:08 2023, Julian, Update, General, Cleanroom Update
|
| Today Pamella and I came in to Hepa vacuum and mop the floor of the cleanroom for general maintenance. |
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Tue May 2 17:03:14 2023, Jon, Cao, Physics, VAC, First pump-down test of vacuum chamber
|
[Jon, Cao]
1. Re-routing of cables
We re-routed the connections between the turbo pump and its fan to the controller. Instead of going through the side of the server rack, they |
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Thu Jun 29 18:27:26 2023, Jon, Cao, Infrastructure, VAC, Vacuum bake attempt 3: success!
|
[Jon, Cao]
Summary : We resolved problems with heaters tripping power and were able to proceed with chamber baking
1. Circuit connection adjustment
After yesterday elog 137, today we resolved
most of these issues. After Jon contacted Facilities, the LP3B 6 circuit was reset and the cleanroom filter & light panels resumed to work as normal.
|
 Mon Nov 13 11:23:54 2023, Jon , Update, CDS, CyMAC testing
|
[Jon, Shane, Luis]
My repair of the internal ribbon connecting the ADC to the adapter board resolved the timing signal problem. After this repair, we were able to
start the front-end IOP model and checked out the RTS diagnostic screens (pictured below). All indicator lights were green except for the DK flag (indicating |
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Thu Jun 2 16:14:58 2022, Jon, HowTo, General, Custom conda environment on JupyterHub
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| Cross-linking instructions: How to run a Jupyter notebook in your custom Conda environment |
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Thu Jun 2 21:55:02 2022, Jon, Update, Cameras, FLIR Camera Setup
|
The new FLIR A70 infrared camera has arrived. Tyler and I unpacked it in the lab yesterday. In less than an hour, we succeeded in powering it on and
connecting it to the lab network. We have assigned it the static IP address 192.168.1.6.
Online Configuration Portal
The FLIR camera can be configured, as well as stream live data, through a web browser interface. It can |
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Fri Jun 3 13:03:33 2022, Jon, Update, Cameras, FLIR Camera Setup
|
Summary
I have installed the requisite software on chimay for interfacing the FLIR A70 camera in Python. There are two packages required from
FLIR:
Spinnaker SDK, which provides the low-level camera drivers and a C/C++ API.
|
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Mon Jun 6 17:11:48 2022, Jon, Update, Cameras, FLIR Camera Setup
|
Today I tested the Spinnaker/PySpin software installations (detailed in ELOG #4) with the FLIR
camera connected to chimay. It works!
Example codes
I was able to run several of the PySpin example codes. In particular, there is one which connects to the camera and streams |
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Mon Jul 11 14:29:45 2022, Jon, Omnistructure, General, HEPA filter installed
|
Today I unpacked and installed the new HEPA filter for the lab. It is an Omni CleanAir OCA1210 capable of 1200 CFM. This flow rate is sufficient to turn
over the air in the room once every 4 minutes, or 14 times per hour. Hopefully this will cut down on our particulate accumulation issues. |
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Wed Dec 14 17:35:41 2022, Jon, Infrastructure, Computers, Windows Laptop
|
I set up the new Windows 10 laptop (pictured below), which arrived yesterday. This laptop is intended to be used for running lightweight Windows-only
programs, such as the Thorlabs beam profiler software or the SRS RGA client. However, none of that software is installed yet.
Configuration details
As usual, the computer is configured with one shared account (username: controls) and the standard password. Note |
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Wed Dec 14 18:34:33 2022, Jon, Configuration, Electronics, Adapter for 532 nm laser power supply
|
I installed an EU-to-US plug adapter for the 532nm laser's 9V power supply. I then re-measured the laser's power with the correct supply voltage (previously
we had been using a 6V supply). At 9V, the max power is 0.83 W, so the laser is confirmed to be Class 2 as labeled. |
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Tue Feb 7 17:44:17 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, Computers, Workstation 1 (ws1) set up
|
The Linux workstation (ws1) that used to sit on the old workbench has been mounted on the new electronics bench and is now ready for use again. I upgraded
the OS to Debian 11.6 and also upgraded the CDS workstation tools. |
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Wed Mar 1 21:27:20 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, Cleanroom, Over-table shelf height raised
|
Jon, Cao
Today we raised the height of the shelf overhanging the cleanroom laser table by 8 inches. This was done to create more vertical clearance between
the top-loading vacuum chamber and the bottom of the shelf. The added clearance should make both removing the chamber lid and inserting large parts easier. |
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Wed Mar 1 21:50:46 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, Computers, Workstation 2 (ws2) mounted on cleanroom cart
|
The Linux workstation (ws2) that used to sit on the blue workbench (now inside the cleanroom) has been mounted on a mobile cart, as pictured below. This
is intended to be a clean cart that will be housed inside the cleanroom.
The cart is currently dirty and will need to be throughly wiped down (along with the computer monitor and peripherals) prior to being moved into |
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Mon Mar 6 15:32:58 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, General, Cabinet installation completed
|
Jon, Cao, Peter
This morning Facilities delivered and installed two new cabinets with sliding glass doors.
The smaller of the two (36" W x 13" D x 84" H) has been installed in the Clean & Bake area adjacent the flow bench. The larger one (48" x 16" |
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Wed Mar 22 12:16:20 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, Cleanroom, Experimenting with HEPA fan speeds
|
Jon, Cao
In effort to try to reduce the noise level inside the cleanroom, we have dialed all four HEPA fan-filter units (FFUs) down from HIGH to MEDIUM
speed. These dials can only be accessed from inside the cleanroom, by bringing in the large ladder and opening adjacent ceiling tiles. |
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Fri Mar 24 07:14:38 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, Computers, Workstation 2 (ws2) mounted on cleanroom cart
|
The ws2 cart has been thoroughly wiped down with IPA wipes and moved inside the cleanroom. I have reconnected it to power and Ethernet (cables bundled and
ran to the server rack just outside the cleanroom). It is ready for use.
Quote:
|
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Tue Apr 4 16:43:53 2023, Jon, Update, VLC Electronics, Additional Thorlabs PDA10A2
|
I ordered a second PDA10A2 and mounting post + spacer (which puts the aperture at the VLC's standard 3" beam height). These arrived today and I delivered
them to the lab. They are sitting on the VLC table near the laser. |
|
Tue Apr 4 16:52:08 2023, Jon, Update, Cleanroom, Particle counter docking station
|
Due to the problems we have encountered trying to serially communicate directly with the Met One DR-528 particle counter, I went ahead and ordered the add-on
communications/charging dock. The dock "ethernetizes" the serial communications by wrapping them in TCP packets and transmitting them over the lab network.
This will allow our Python code to communicate using the standard Internet sockets package, rather than PySerial, PyNut, etc.
the docking station arrived |
|
Fri Apr 21 00:06:43 2023, Jon, Update, VAC, Vacuum prep and installation - parts have arrived
|
The two parts needed to complete the vacuum assembly (ELOG 70) have arrived.
(10) 5/16"-24 x 1 3/4" threaded rods - for attaching the turbo pump reducing nipple to the CF 4.5" gate valve;
(1) 45 degree CF
2.75" elbow for attaching the calibrated Ar/He leak to the chamber.
I left them laying on top of the ultrasonic washer. They both need |
|
Tue Apr 25 11:56:37 2023, Jon, Update, VLC Electronics, Red Pataya has arrived
|
| The Red Pataya 125-14 starter kit that we ordered for locking the 532 nm cavity has arrived. I left it laying on the optical table near the laser. |
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Thu Apr 27 21:43:07 2023, Jon, Physics, VAC, Grounding vacuum system
|
This afternoon I made up a green 10 AWG grounding cable and connected it to the vacuum system.
One end is tightly connected to the bottom flange of the vacuum chamber (photo 1). It is run along and up the table framing to the top of the cleanroom,
where it exits into the overhead cable tray in the same location as the other power cables. It drops down from the top of the server rack all the way to |