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Associate Professor　KOMORI, Kentaro

Research Field

  • Gravitational-wave physics, Quantum Optomechanics

Degree

  • PhD (Science), The University of Tokyo, 2019

Summary of Research

    1. Commissioning of the gravitational-wave (GW) detector KAGRA
      I am engaged in the commissioning of the GW detector KAGRA, aiming to maximize its performance through careful tuning and upgrading of the instrument. The sensitivity of KAGRA has steadily improved, and we are targeting the first detection of GWs by KAGRA in the next observing run scheduled in 2028. A key challenge is the implementation of Resonant Sideband Extraction (RSE), an advanced interferometric configuration that enhances the signal response of the detector to GWs. Efforts are currently underway to realize this technique. This research is carried out on a full-scale detector, offering a unique opportunity to work directly with a large-scale experimental facility.
    2. Development of quantum noise reduction techniques
      Further improvements in detector sensitivity require overcoming quantum noise, which represents a fundamental limit of precision measurement. To address this, we are developing and demonstrating novel quantum optical techniques using TAMA300, a 300-meter-scale interferometric facility. Such an environment, where quantum noise reduction can be tested in a long-baseline interferometer, is extremely rare worldwide. Our goal is to establish key technologies for next-generation GW detectors under conditions close to those of real observations.
    3. Tabletop-scale experiments
      In parallel with large-scale detectors, we also pursue laboratory-scale experiments. One example is the precise measurement of coating thermal noise, one of the dominant noise sources limiting the sensitivity of GW detectors, with the aim of proposing improved coating materials. We are also working on laser cooling of milligram-scale mechanical oscillators toward their quantum ground state, as well as exploring new applications of precision measurement techniques, such as searches for ultralight dark matter. Despite their relatively small scale, these experiments can produce results directly relevant to gravitational-wave detection and fundamental physics.


      4. Summary
      In this way, our research spans a wide range of scales from large-scale observatories to tabletop experiments, integrating detector development, technological innovation, and the exploration of new physics, thereby expanding the potential of GW astronomy.

Research Achievements or Papers

  • K. Komori, et al., “Attonewton-meter torque sensing with a macroscopic optomechanical torsion pendulum”, Phys. Rev. A 101, 011802(R) (2020).
  • K. Komori, et al., “Demonstration of an amplitude filter cavity at gravitational-wave frequencies”, Phys. Rev. D 102, 102003 (2020).
  • K. Komori, et al., “Improving force sensitivity by amplitude measurements of light reflected from a detuned optomechanical cavity”, Phys. Rev. A 104, L031501 (2021).

Academic Society

  • JPS

Web Page

E-mail

  • gw-contact_at_nao.ac.jp
    (In the mailing address, replace _at_ with @)

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