Abstract
The recent discovery of gravitational waves (GW) by Advanced LIGO (Laser Interferometric Gravitational-wave Observatory) has impressively launched the novel field of gravitational astronomy and allowed us to glimpse exciting objects about which we could previously only speculate. Further sensitivity improvements at the low-frequency end of the detection band of future GW observatories must rely on quantum non-demolition (QND) methods to suppress fundamental quantum fluctuations of the light fields used to readout the GW signal. Here we present a novel concept of how to turn a conventional Michelson interferometer into a QND speed-meter interferometer with coherently suppressed quantum back-action noise. We use two orthogonal polarizations of light and an optical circulator to couple them. We carry out a detailed analysis of how imperfections and optical loss influence the achievable sensitivity. We find that the proposed configuration significantly enhances the low-frequency sensitivity and increases the observable event rate of binary black-hole coalescences in the range of 10^2 - 10^3,M_ odot by a factor of up to ~300.
Highlights
The recently reported breakthrough observation of gravitational waves emitted by coalescing binary black holes marked the starting point of the new field of gravitational-wave astronomy[1]
The sharp rise (/ ΩÀ2) of KMI at low frequencies within the interferometer bandwidth, Ω
In this article, we suggested a new configuration for realizing a quantum speed meter in laser-interferometric gravitational waves (GW) observatories
Summary
The recently reported breakthrough observation of gravitational waves emitted by coalescing binary black holes marked the starting point of the new field of gravitational-wave astronomy[1]. In the late 1960s, Braginskiǐ[3] identified quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field as the main fundamental limitation to the sensitivity of electromagnetic weak force sensors He showed that continuous monitoring of the test object position to infer an external weak force (e.g., GW) always leads to a quantum backaction of the meter on the probed object’s position, thereby setting the standard quantum limit (SQL) on the Danilishin et al Light: Science & Applications (2018)7:11 achievable precision of such a measurement. In interferometric sensors such as GW interferometers, light is used to monitor the distances between mirrors
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