A University researcher has been presented with a prestigious fellowship from the Royal Society.

Dr Iain Martin, of the School of Physics and Astronomy, is one of 40 leading scientists to be named as a University Research Fellow of the Royal Society.

The University Research Fellowship scheme  aims to provide financial support for scientists who have the potential to become leaders in their chosen fields. The fellowship lasts for five years and aims to allow scientists to pursue their research and prepare for a permanent university post.

Dr Martin’s research focuses on improving the apparatus used to detect gravitational waves – fluctuations in the curvature of space which are caused by massive astronomical events such as the explosion of dying stars and the merging of black holes. The study of gravitational waves provides a vital method of studying the universe and its origins.

As the waves from astronomical events ripple out across the galaxy they greatly decrease in amplitude. By the time the waves reach Earth, the waves are extremely weak and require highly sensitive equipment to detect.

Gravitational wave detectors can take a number of forms, but Dr Martin’s research will examine opportunities to further develop the design of a detector made from suspended mirrors separated by a distance of several kilometres. The effect of gravitational waves can be detected in changes in the length of the separation, which amounts to less than a thousandth of the diameter of an atomic nucleus.

Dr Martin said: “A major limit to the sensitivity of these detectors is the vibration of the molecules in the mirrors caused by their thermal energy, which is known as thermal noise. Thermal noise created by vibrations in the highly-reflective optical coatings applied to the mirrors is expected to be a critical limit to the sensitivity of all future gravitational wave detectors at their most sensitive frequencies.

“Gravitational wave detectors have pushed the boundaries of many areas of physics including the development of high-powered very stable lasers, low thermal noise materials, sophisticated control electronics technology and complex systems to isolate the detectors from the motion of the Earth.

“In addition to the creation of the next generation of gravitational wave detectors, the coating materials studied have many potential applications in microelectronics and even medicine, where adding coatings to joint replacements can reduce the chance of the body rejecting the surgery."

“I’m very excited to have received the University Research Fellowship and I’m looking forward to continuing my research at the University of Glasgow.”

First published: 10 November 2011

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