Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library. / This thesis describes the design and construction of an instrument intended to measure the length noise present in optical materials. The detection of thermoelastic noise in sapphire provides the initial motivation for the instrument, though the intent is to build a system capable of robustly characterising a variety of noise sources in multiple materials. Theoretical modelling is used to design a system that is expected to be dominated by thermoelastic noise. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1295741 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Chemistry and Physics, 2007

Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library. / This thesis describes the design and construction of an instrument intended to measure the length noise present in optical materials. The detection of thermoelastic noise in sapphire provides the initial motivation for the instrument, though the intent is to build a system capable of robustly characterising a variety of noise sources in multiple materials. Theoretical modelling is used to design a system that is expected to be dominated by thermoelastic noise. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1295741 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Chemistry and Physics, 2007

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2002. / Adviser: L. H. Ford. Submitted to the Dept. of Physics. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 161-165). Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Dept. of Mathematical Physics, University of Adelaide, 1982. / Typescript (photocopy).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2004. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Neil J. Cornish. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-142).

Thesis (M.Sc.). / Written for the Dept. of Physics. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2009/08/07). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2006. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Neil J. Cornish. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-144).

Astronomy with gravitational-wave observations is now a reality. Much of the theoretical research in this field falls under three broad themes: the mathematical description and physical understanding of gravitational radiation and its effects; the construction of accurate and computationally efficient waveform models for astrophysical sources; and the improved statistical analysis of noisy data from interferometric detectors, so as to extract and characterise source signals. The doctoral thesis presented in this dissertation is an investigation of various topics across these themes. Under the first theme, we examine the direct interaction between gravitational waves and electromagnetic fields in a self-contained theoretical study; this is done with a view to understanding the observational implications for highly energetic astrophysical events that radiate in both the gravitational and electromagnetic sectors. We then delve into the second theme of source modelling by developing and implementing an improved waveform model for the extreme-mass-ratio inspirals of stellar-mass compact objects into supermassive black holes, which are an important class of source for future space-based detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. Two separate topics are explored under the third theme of data analysis. We begin with the procedure of searching for gravitational-wave signals in detector data, and propose several combinatorial compression schemes for the large banks of waveform templates that are matched against putative signals, before studying the usefulness of these schemes for accelerating searches. After a gravitational-wave source is detected, the follow-up process is to measure its parameters in detail from the data; this is addressed as we apply the machine-learning technique of Gaussian process regression to gravitational-wave data analysis, and in particular to the formidable problem of parameter estimation for extreme-mass-ratio inspirals.

Um Detector de Ondas Gravitacionais tipo Massa-Ressonante Esférico é otimizado. Primeiramente um modelo matemático para o detector com seis transdulatores indutivos supercondutivos de dois modos é usado para simular o desempenho de tal detector. Depois disso, um conjunto completo de experimentos para melhorar os fatores de qualidade mecânico e elétrico do transdutor e dos acoplamentos entre suas partes é mostrado e os resultados, discutidos. / A Spherical Resonant-Mass Detector of Gravitational Waves is optimized. First, a mathematical model for the detector with six inductive superconducting two-mode transducers is used to simulate the performance of such detector. After that, a complete set of experiments to improve the mechanical and the electrical quality factors of the materials and the transducer attachments is shown, and the results are discussed.

The motivation of this thesis is to look for a signature of Lorentz violation, hopefully observable, in the gravitational waves emitted by cosmic strings. Aspects of cosmic strings are reviewed, in particular how focused bursts of gravitational radiation are emitted when a cusp forms on the string. The same phenomenon is then studied in an effective field theory with Lorentz violation called Einstein-aether theory. This is a simple theory with a dynamic preferred frame, but it retains rotational and diffeomorphism invariance. The linearized version of the theory produces five wave modes. We study the usual transverse traceless modes which now have a wave speed that can be lower or greater than the speed of light. This altered speed produces distinctive features in the waves. They depend on two free parameters: roughly the wave speed and the acceleration of the string cusp. The profile of the wave is analyzed in detail for different values of the parameters and explained by close comparison with the string motion. / Science, Faculty of / Physics and Astronomy, Department of / Graduate