# LIMITING SENSITIVITY OF SUPERCONDUCTIVE LC - CIRCUIT PLACED IN WEAK GRAVITATIONAL WAVE

## Abstract

It is demonstrated that the sensitivity of a superconductive LC - circuit placed in a weak gravitational wave is limited by two factors. One is the quantization of the magnetic flux through the circuit, the second one is the fraction of the elementary charge (effect Laughlin - Stormer - Tsui). Application to a possibility of using a superconductive LC - circuit as a weak gravitational waves detector is discussed.

PACS number(s): 04.80

The attractive goal of a gravitational astronomy stimulates us to enlarge the set of gravitational wave antennae based on different physical principles. Because it is evident that the diversity of experimental devices can help us to get complete and reliable information.

As it was proved in Fo , if a RLC - circuit is placed in a wave front plane of a monochromatic gravitational wave (GW) electromagnetic oscillations can be, so the RLC - circuit is a gravitational wave detector. The relative position of RLC - circuit elements and the gravitational wave front on fig.1 is shown.

The incoming GW changes mutual positions of circuit conductors and its cross - sections, consequently, magnitudes of resistor, inductance and capacity are changes also in a phase with GW. Its variations are proportional to the GW amplitude. In Fo  obtained that in orthogonal TT frame (in that frame the RLC - circuit is stated relatively to the GW front)

$$\{\begin{array}{ccc}\hfill R(t)& =& R[1+\epsilon _R(t)],\hfill \\ \hfill L(t)& =& L[1+\epsilon _L(t)],\hfill \\ \hfill \frac{1}{C_i\left(t\right)}& =& \frac{1}{C_i}[1\epsilon _{C_i}(t)],i=1,2,\hfill \end{array}$$
(1)   
where $`R,L,C_i`$ are initial magnitudes

$$\epsilon _{\mathrm{}}(t)=ϵ_\mathrm{}_+h_+(t)+ϵ_\mathrm{}_\times h_\times (t),$$
(2)   
and $`g_{\mu ,\nu }=\eta _{\mu ,\nu }+h_{\mu ,\nu }`$, $`ϵ`$ is a parameter, $`\mathrm{}=R,L,C_i`$, $`+`$ or $`\times `$ signs of the monochromatic GW polarization. For the monochromatic GW we suppose $`h_{+,\times }(t)=A_{+,\times }\mathrm{cos}(\omega _gt+\varphi _{+,\times })`$.

The assumptions for deriving Eqs. (1) are as follows. The oscillations frequency is less then $`c/d`$ ($`c`$ is the velocity of light, $`d`$ is the maximum length of the circuit), the field of the GW is uniform or $`\lambda _gd`$ ($`\lambda _g`$ is the length of the GW).

In these assumptions one can write the equations for oscillations of a charge $`Q`$ in the RLC - circuit in the GW presence

$$\ddot{Q}+2\gamma \dot{Q}+\omega _0^2Q=v_+h_+(t)+v_\times h_\times (t),$$
(3)   
where

$$\begin{array}{ccc}\hfill v_{+,\times }& =& \omega _0^2Q_0\frac{a}{(a+1)^2}[ϵ_{C_{1_{+,\times }}}ϵ_{C_{2_{+,\times }}}],\hfill \\ \hfill \omega _0^2& =& \frac{a+1}{a}\frac{1}{LC},\hfill \\ \hfill Q_1& =& aQ_2=\frac{a}{a+1}Q_0,\hfill \\ \hfill C_1& =& aC_2=aC.\hfill \end{array}$$

Eq. (3) in $`|\epsilon _{\mathrm{}}|1`$ and $`|\dot{\epsilon }_{\mathrm{}}|1`$ approximations is derived.

So, the most prominent effect of the action of the G W is the existence of a electromotive force in the RLC - circuit. Its value is defined by an amplitude of the GW. In order to simplify following calculations it is supposed that only ”plus” polarization of the GW is acting on the circuit. Plates of the condensers $`C_1`$ and $`C_2`$ are mutially orthogonal, and $`C_1=C_1=C`$. So $`a=1`$, $`v_+=1/2\omega _g^2Q_0`$.

It is obvious in a case of resonance $`\omega _0=\omega _g`$ that losses in the RLC - circuit confine an amplitude of electric oscillations. In usual RLC - circuit with the temperature $`T`$ its sensitivity is restricted by a termal noise

$$A_n=\frac{2}{U_0}\sqrt{\frac{\kappa T}{𝒬C\omega _0\tau }},$$
(4)   
if one suppose $`U_0=Q_0/C,\kappa `$ is the Boltzman constant, $`𝒬`$ is the quality factor $`𝒬`$=$`\omega _0/4\gamma `$, $`\tau `$ is the interval of registration. For $`U_0=10^5V`$, $`T=4K`$,$`\omega _0=120\pi `$, $`𝒬=10^3`$, $`\tau =10^7s`$, then the minimal amplitude of GW is Fo 

$$A_n=7,610^{22}.$$
(5)   
Let us discuss the sensitivity of the superconductive LC - circuit. We can define the sensitivity of such circuit from the following reasons. The magnetic flux is quantized in the superconductive inductance $`L`$, and the value of minimum flux is 2 

$$\mathrm{\Phi }_0=\frac{\pi \mathrm{}}{e}=2.0710^{15}Wb.$$
(6)   
According to Faraday’s law, if the magnetic flux is changed on $`\mathrm{\Delta }\mathrm{\Phi }=\mathrm{\Phi }_0`$ in the time interval $`\mathrm{\Delta }t=T_g/2(T_g=2\pi /\omega _g)`$, then the electromotive force is created

$$E_L=\frac{\omega _g}{\pi }\mathrm{\Phi }_0.$$
(7)   
This electromotive force in the LC - circuit is compensated by changes of $`C_1`$ and $`C_2`$ voltages (because Kirchgoff’s law). The last are created by the GW action. As one can conclude

$$\mathrm{\Delta }U=U_0A𝒬_s,$$
(8)   
where $`𝒬_s`$ is the quality factor of the LC - circuit ( see  p. 57 ), $`A`$ is an amplitude of the GW. So, using Kirchgoff’s law, one can have

$$E_L+\mathrm{\Delta }U=0.$$
(9)   
After substitution (7) and (8) in (9) we find

$$\frac{\omega _g\mathrm{\Phi }_0}{\pi }=U_0A𝒬_s.$$
(10)   
Consequently, the boundary value of the GW amplitude, which can be detected in the LC - circuit is

$$A_{min_s}=\frac{\omega _g\mathrm{\Phi }_0}{\pi U_0𝒬_s},$$
(11)   
or in another terms

$$A_{min_s}=\frac{\mathrm{}\omega _g}{𝒬_seU_0}.$$
(12)   
If one gets the above mentioned values and supposes that $`𝒬_s=10^6`$ and $`\omega _g=120\pi `$, then

$$A_{min_s}=2,410^{24}.$$
(13)   
As it was shown recently 3 , if one lowers the temperature in the $`LC`$-circuit less than $`0.4K`$ and gets the external magnetic field more than $`10T`$, he can use the fraction of the elementary charge $`e`$ in the experimental measurement. Consequently, we have to rewrite the formula (12) so that this effect can be included. It is easy to show that with such technology we can get the sensitivity

$$A_{min_s}=\frac{\mathrm{}\omega _g}{𝒬_seU_0}n,$$
(14)   
where $`n`$ is a fractional part of the elementary charge ( in particular 1/3, 1/5 and so on).

In conclusion, we notice that the sensitivity of a such device, being comparable with a laser interferometer one, can be exploited as an effective gravitational wave detector.

One of the authors (G. N. I.) should like to thank the INFN - Sezione di Ferrara for financial support of his staying in Ferrara.