545 research outputs found
Experimental Demonstration of Time-Delay Interferometry for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
We report on the first demonstration of time-delay interferometry (TDI) for
LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. TDI was implemented in a
laboratory experiment designed to mimic the noise couplings that will occur in
LISA. TDI suppressed laser frequency noise by approximately 10^9 and clock
phase noise by 6x10^4, recovering the intrinsic displacement noise floor of our
laboratory test bed. This removal of laser frequency noise and clock phase
noise in post-processing marks the first experimental validation of the LISA
measurement scheme.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Physical Review Letters end of May
201
The Effects of Orbital Motion on LISA Time Delay Interferometry
In an effort to eliminate laser phase noise in laser interferometer
spaceborne gravitational wave detectors, several combinations of signals have
been found that allow the laser noise to be canceled out while gravitational
wave signals remain. This process is called time delay interferometry (TDI). In
the papers that defined the TDI variables, their performance was evaluated in
the limit that the gravitational wave detector is fixed in space. However, the
performance depends on certain symmetries in the armlengths that are available
if the detector is fixed in space, but that will be broken in the actual
rotating and flexing configuration produced by the LISA orbits. In this paper
we investigate the performance of these TDI variables for the real LISA orbits.
First, addressing the effects of rotation, we verify Daniel Shaddock's result
that the Sagnac variables will not cancel out the laser phase noise, and we
also find the same result for the symmetric Sagnac variable. The loss of the
latter variable would be particularly unfortunate since this variable also
cancels out gravitational wave signal, allowing instrument noise in the
detector to be isolated and measured. Fortunately, we have found a set of more
complicated TDI variables, which we call Delta-Sagnac variables, one of which
accomplishes the same goal as the symmetric Sagnac variable to good accuracy.
Finally, however, as we investigate the effects of the flexing of the detector
arms due to non-circular orbital motion, we show that all variables, including
the interferometer variables, which survive the rotation-induced loss of
direction symmetry, will not completely cancel laser phase noise when the
armlengths are changing with time. This unavoidable problem will place a
stringent requirement on laser stability of 5 Hz per root Hz.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure
Time Domain Simulations of Arm Locking in LISA
Arm locking is a technique that has been proposed for reducing laser
frequency fluctuations in the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), a
gravitational-wave observatory sensitive in the milliHertz frequency band. Arm
locking takes advantage of the geometric stability of the triangular
constellation of three spacecraft that comprise LISA to provide a frequency
reference with a stability in the LISA measurement band that exceeds that
available from a standard reference such as an optical cavity or molecular
absorption line. We have implemented a time-domain simulation of arm locking
including the expected limiting noise sources (shot noise, clock noise,
spacecraft jitter noise, and residual laser frequency noise). The effect of
imperfect a priori knowledge of the LISA heterodyne frequencies and the
associated 'pulling' of an arm locked laser is included. We find that our
implementation meets requirements both on the noise and dynamic range of the
laser frequency.Comment: Revised to address reviewer comments. Accepted by Phys. Rev.
Stabilization of injection-locked lasers using spatial mode interference
We report the use of spatial-mode-interference, or tilt-locking, for the active stabilization of injection-locking of a Nd:YAG laser. We show that this control scheme is robust and adds negligible frequency noise to the injection-locked laserOttaway, D.J.; Gray, M.B.; Shaddock, D.A.; Hollitt, C.; Veitch, P.J.; Munch, J.; McClelland, David Ernes
Searching for Gravitational Waves with a Geostationary Interferometer
We analyze the sensitivities of a geostationary gravitational wave
interferometer mission operating in the sub-Hertz band. Because of its smaller
armlength, in the lower part of its accessible frequency band ( Hz) our proposed Earth-orbiting detector will be less
sensitive, by a factor of about seventy, than the Laser Interferometer Space
Antenna (LISA) mission. In the higher part of its band instead ( Hz), our proposed interferometer will have the capability of
observing super-massive black holes (SMBHs) with masses smaller than M. With good event rates for these systems, a geostationary
interferometer will be able to accurately probe the astrophysical scenarios
that account for their formation.Comment: 33 pages, 9 eps figure
Measuring coalignment of retroreflectors with large lateral incoming-outgoing beam offset
A method based on phase-shifting Fizeau interferometry is presented with which retroreflectors with large incoming-outgoing beam separations can be tested. The method relies on a flat Reference Bar that is used to align two auxiliary mirrors parallel to each other to extend the aperture of the interferometer. The method is applied to measure the beam coalignment of a prototype Triple Mirror Assembly of the GRACE Follow-On Laser Ranging Interferometer, a future satellite-to-satellite tracking device for Earth gravimetry. The Triple Mirror Assembly features a lateral beam offset of incoming and outgoing beam of 600 mm, whereas the acceptance angle for the incoming beam is only about ±2 mrad. With the developed method, the beam coalignment of the prototype Triple Mirror Assembly was measured to be 9 μrad with a repeatability of below 1 μrad
Progress in Interferometry for LISA at JPL
Recent advances at JPL in experimentation and design for LISA interferometry
include the demonstration of Time Delay Interferometry using electronically
separated end stations, a new arm-locking design with improved gain and
stability, and progress in flight readiness of digital and analog electronics
for phase measurements.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, LISA 8 Symposium, Stanford University, 201
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