Stabilized lasers for advanced gravitational wave detectors

Abstract

Second generation gravitational wave detectors require high power lasers with more than 100 W of output power and with very low temporal and spatial fluctuations. To achieve the demanding stability levels required, low noise techniques and adequate control actuators have to be part of the high power laser design. In addition feedback control and passive noise filtering is used to reduce the fluctuations in the so-called prestabilized laser system (PSL). In this paper, we discuss the design of a 200 W PSL which is under development for the Advanced LIGO gravitational wave detector and will present the first results. The PSL noise requirements for advanced gravitational wave detectors will be discussed in general and the stabilization scheme proposed for the Advanced LIGO PSL will be described.

Advanced interferometry, quantum optics and optomechanics in gravitational wave detectors

“…The only way to increase the signal response is to increase the laser power. For a review of progress in the area see Willke [29]. In 1988, Meers [30] realised that the signal response could be tailored by placing a mirror (SM in Fig.…”

Injection-locked single-frequency laser with an output power of 220 W

“…As the shot noise limited sensitivity scales proportionally with the inverse square root of the optical power inside the interferometer, the sensitivity would strongly benefit from a power increase of the laser light source [1]. Besides the need of a high output power, the light source has to fulfill stringent requirements for beam profile, pointing, amplitude and frequency noise not to induce additional noise into the gravitational wave channel [3].…”

Critical Kerr nonlinear optical cavity in the presence of internal loss and driving noise

“…Such a passive classical noise-reduction scheme might find an application in gravitational-wave astronomy. Here, ultrastable high-power laser radiation is needed [10] to achieve a sufficiently high interferometric sensitivity, e.g., as envisioned for Advanced LIGO [11] and the Einstein Telescope [12].…”