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.
Highlights
Direct detection of gravitational radiation, predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity, remains one of the most exciting challenges in experimental physics
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
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
Summary
Direct detection of gravitational radiation, predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity, remains one of the most exciting challenges in experimental physics Due to their relatively weak interaction with matter, gravitational waves promise to allow exploration of hitherto inaccessible processes and epochs [1]. Modern gravitational-wave detectors are Michelson-style interferometers, enhanced by the addition of resonant cavities at their inputs, outputs and, generally, in each of their arms (see Fig. 1). When all of these cavities are held within their respective linewidths by interferometer control systems we say that the interferometer is locked.
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