Interferometer Modeling for Current and Future Gravitational Wave Detectors

The LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA gravitational wave detector network has observed over 300 events since the first detection in 2015. Increased detection rates are the product of countless instrumental upgrades to the detectors that increase the strain sensitivity but simultaneously add complexity. Identifying the source of current and future sensitivity limits, as well as developing solutions to mitigate them, has made the development of accurate working models of the interferometers increasingly important. Using these models as a lens to understand behaviors that are observed in current detectors also informs the design process for future detectors.

This talk will provide an overview of the tools and methods that are used by scientists to create models of current and future detectors, as well as the role that measurements of the interferometer's response play in vetting these models. This will present several key principles and parameters that are primarily used as the lexicon of these modeling efforts.