Arm-length stabilisation for interferometric gravitational-wave detectors using frequency-doubled auxiliary lasers

Opt Express. 2012 Jan 2;20(1):81-9. doi: 10.1364/OE.20.000081.

Abstract

Residual motion of the arm cavity mirrors is expected to prove one of the principal impediments to systematic lock acquisition in advanced gravitational-wave interferometers. We present a technique which overcomes this problem by employing auxiliary lasers at twice the fundamental measurement frequency to pre-stabilise the arm cavities' lengths. Applying this approach, we reduce the apparent length noise of a 1.3 m long, independently suspended Fabry-Perot cavity to 30 pm rms and successfully transfer longitudinal control of the system from the auxiliary laser to the measurement laser.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Artifacts*
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Gravitation*
  • Interferometry / instrumentation*
  • Lasers*
  • Transducers*