Shot-noise-limited control-loop noise in an interferometer with multiple degrees of freedom

Precise measurements, such as those made with interferometric gravitational-wave detectors, require the measurement device to be properly controlled so that the sensitivity can be as high as possible. Mirrors in the interferometer are to be located at specific operation points to isolate laser noise and to accumulate the signal in resonant cavities. On the other hand, rigid control of an auxiliary degree of freedom may result in imposing sensing noise of the control on the target object as excess force noise. Evaluation of this so-called loop noise is important in order to design a decent control scheme of the measurement device. In this paper, we show the method to calculate the level of loop noise, which has been recently implemented in simulation tools that are broadly used for designing gravitational-wave detectors

Length sensing and control strategies for the LCGT interferometer

The optical readout scheme for the length degrees of freedom of the LCGT interferometer is proposed. The control scheme is compatible both with the broadband and detuned operations of the interferometer. Interferometer simulations using a simulation software Optickle show that the sensing noise couplings caused by the feedback control can be reduced below the target sensitivity of LCGT with the use of feed forward. In order to improve the duty cycle of the detector, a robust lock acquisition scheme using auxiliary lasers will be used.Comment: 13 pages 9 figures. A proceedings paper for Amaldi9 conferenc

The AEI 10 m prototype interferometer

A 10 m prototype interferometer facility is currently being set up at the AEI in Hannover, Germany. The prototype interferometer will be housed inside a 100 m^3 ultra-high vacuum envelope. Seismically isolated optical tables inside the vacuum system will be interferometrically interconnected via a suspension platform interferometer. Advanced isolation techniques will be used, such as inverted pendulums and geometrical anti-spring filters in combination with multiple-cascaded pendulum suspensions, containing an all-silica monolithic last stage. The light source is a 35 W Nd:YAG laser, geometrically filtered by passing it through a photonic crystal fibre and a rigid pre-modecleaner cavity. Laser frequency stabilisation will be achieved with the aid of a high finesse suspended reference cavity in conjunction with a molecular iodine reference. Coating thermal noise will be reduced by the use of Khalili cavities as compound end mirrors. Data acquisition and control of the experiments is based on the AdvLIGO digital control and data system. The aim of the project is to test advanced techniques for GEO 600 as well as to conduct experiments in macroscopic quantum mechanics. Reaching standard quantum-limit sensitivity for an interferometer with 100 g mirrors and subsequently breaching this limit, features most prominently among these experiments. In this paper we present the layout and current status of the AEI 10 m Prototype Interferometer project

Frequency noise and intensity noise of next-generation gravitational-wave detectors with RF/DC readout schemes

The sensitivity of next-generation gravitational-wave detectors such as Advanced LIGO and LCGT should be limited mostly by quantum noise with an expected technical progress to reduce seismic noise and thermal noise. Those detectors will employ the optical configuration of resonant-sideband-extraction that can be realized with a signal-recycling mirror added to the Fabry-Perot Michelson interferometer. While this configuration can reduce quantum noise of the detector, it can possibly increase laser frequency noise and intensity noise. The analysis of laser noise in the interferometer with the conventional configuration has been done in several papers, and we shall extend the analysis to the resonant-sideband-extraction configuration with the radiation pressure effect included. We shall also refer to laser noise in the case we employ the so-called DC readout scheme.Comment: An error in Fig. 10 in the published version in PRD has been corrected in this version; an erratum has been submitted to PRD. After correction, this figure reflects a significant difference in the ways RF and DC readout schemes are susceptible to laser noise. In addition, the levels of mirror loss imbalances and input laser amplitude noise have also been updated to be more realistic for Advanced LIG

Reducing Thermal Noise in Future Gravitational Wave Detectors by employing Khalili Etalons

Reduction of thermal noise in dielectric mirror coatings is a key issue for the sensitivity improvement in second and third generation interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Replacing an end mirror of the interferometer by an anti-resonant cavity (a so-called Khalili cavity) has been proposed to realize the reduction of the overall thermal noise level. In this article we show that the use of a Khalili etalon, which requires less hardware than a Khalili cavity, yields still a significant reduction of thermal noise. We identify the optimum distribution of coating layers on the front and rear surfaces of the etalon and compare the total noise budget with a conventional mirror. In addition we briefly discuss advantages and disadvantages of the Khalili etalon compared with the Khalili cavity in terms of technical aspects, such as interferometric length control and thermal lensing.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure

DECIGO and DECIGO pathfinder

A space gravitational-wave antenna, DECIGO (DECI-hertz interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory), will provide fruitful insights into the universe, particularly on the formation mechanism of supermassive black holes, dark energy and the inflation of the universe. In the current pre-conceptual design, DECIGO will be comprising four interferometer units; each interferometer unit will be formed by three drag-free spacecraft with 1000 km separation. Since DECIGO will be an extremely challenging mission with high-precision formation flight with long baseline, it is important to increase the technical feasibility before its planned launch in 2027. Thus, we are planning to launch two milestone missions. DECIGO pathfinder (DPF) is the first milestone mission, and key components for DPF are being tested on ground and in orbit. In this paper, we review the conceptual design and current status of DECIGO and DPF

Local readout enhancement for detuned signal-recycling interferometers

Motivated by the optical-bar scheme of Braginsky, Gorodetsky and Khalili, we propose to add to a high power detuned signal-recycling interferometer a local readout scheme which measures the motion of the arm-cavity front mirror. At low frequencies this mirror moves together with the arm-cavity end mirror, under the influence of gravitational waves. This scheme improves the low-frequency quantum-noise-limited sensitivity of optical-spring interferometers significantly and can be considered as a incorporation of the optical-bar scheme into currently planned second-generation interferometers. On the other hand it can be regarded as an extension of the optical bar scheme. Taking compact-binary inspiral signals as an example, we illustrate how this scheme can be used to improve the sensitivity of the planned Advanced LIGO interferometer, in various scenarios, using a realistic classical-noise budget. We also discuss how this scheme can be implemented in Advanced LIGO with relative ease