Spatially resolved photodiode response for simulating precise interferometers.

Quadrant photodiodes (QPDs) are used in laser interferometry systems to simultaneously detect longitudinal displacement of test masses and angular misalignment between the two interfering beams. The latter is achieved by means of the differential wavefront sensing (DWS) technique, which provides ultra-high precision for measuring angular displacements. We have developed a setup to obtain the spatially resolved response of QPDs that, together with an extension of the simulation software IfoCAD, allows us to use the measured response in simulations and accurately predict the desired longitudinal and DWS phase observables. Three different commercial off-the-shelf QPD candidates for space-based interferometry were characterized. The measured response of one QPD was used in optical simulations. Nonuniformities in the response of the device and crosstalk between segments do not introduce significant variations in the longitudinal and DWS measurands with respect to the standard case when a uniform QPD without crosstalk is used.

Experimental demonstration of reduced tilt-to-length coupling by a two-lens imaging system.

The coupling between beam tilt and longitudinal path length readout in a setup representing a LISA test mass interferometer was reduced to below 2 µm/rad using a two lens imaging system. This was achieved by the use of a homodyne equal arm-length Mach-Zehnder interferometer and suppression of the dominating effects of higher order Gaussian modes and longitudinal actuator movement. The latter was subtracted using the phase signal of a large single element photo diode.

Readout for intersatellite laser interferometry: Measuring low frequency phase fluctuations of high-frequency signals with microradian precision.

Precision phase readout of optical beat note signals is one of the core techniques required for intersatellite laser interferometry. Future space based gravitational wave detectors like eLISA require such a readout over a wide range of MHz frequencies, due to orbit induced Doppler shifts, with a precision in the order of µrad/√Hz at frequencies between 0.1 mHz and 1 Hz. In this paper, we present phase readout systems, so-called phasemeters, that are able to achieve such precisions and we discuss various means that have been employed to reduce noise in the analogue circuit domain and during digitisation. We also discuss the influence of some non-linear noise sources in the analogue domain of such phasemeters. And finally, we present the performance that was achieved during testing of the elegant breadboard model of the LISA phasemeter, which was developed in the scope of a European Space Agency technology development activity.

Vanishing tilt-to-length coupling for a singular case in two-beam laser interferometers with Gaussian beams.

The omnipresent tilt-to-length coupling in two-beam laser interferometers, frequently a nuisance in precision measurements, vanishes for the singular case of two beams with identical parameters and complete detection of both beams without clipping. This effect has been observed numerically and is explained in this manuscript by the cancellation of two very different effects of equal magnitude and opposite sign.

Modeling of the general astigmatic Gaussian beam and its propagation through 3D optical systems.

The paper introduces the complete model of the general astigmatic Gaussian beam as the most general case of the Gaussian beam in the fundamental mode. This includes the laws of propagation, reflection, and refraction as well as the equations for extracting from the complex-valued beam description its real-valued parameters, such as the beam spot radii and the radii of curvature of the wavefront. The suggested model is applicable to the case of an oblique incidence of the beam at any 3D surface that can be approximated by the second-order equation at the point of incidence. Thus it can be used in simulations of a large variety of 3D optical systems. The provided experimental validation of the model shows good agreement with simulations.

Verification of polarising optics for the LISA optical bench.

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a space-based interferometric gravitational wave detector. In the current baseline design for the optical bench, the use of polarising optics is foreseen to separate optical beams. Therefore it is important to investigate the influence of polarising components on the interferometer sensitivity and validate that the required picometre stability in the low-frequency band (1 mHz - 1 Hz) is achievable. This paper discusses the design of the experiment and the implemented stabilisation loops. A displacement readout fulfilling the requirement in the whole frequency band is presented. Alternatively, we demonstrate improvement of the noise performance by implementing various algorithms in data post-processing, which leads to an additional robustness for the LISA mission.

Phase-noise properties of an ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.

Phase noise is a critical issue for the sensitivity of the interferometric gravitational-wave detector Laser Interferometer Space Antenna that requires laser sources with 1 W of output power. A low-power seed laser with a subsequent fiber amplifier is in discussion, and we report on spectrally resolved phase-noise measurements of an ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier emitting 1 W of output power from 10 mW of seed power. Phase-noise measurements for Fourier frequencies from 10(-4) Hz to 100 kHz show 60 rad/Hz0.5 at 10(-4) Hz and 0.2 mrad/Hz0.5 at 1 kHz. This measured excess phase noise is orders of magnitude below the free-running phase noise of nonplanar ring oscillators.

Power- and frequency-noise characteristics of an Yb-doped fiber amplifier and actuators for stabilization.

The interferometric gravitational-wave detector LISA requires laser sources with 1W of output power and low frequency and power noise as well as actuators for further power and frequency stabilization. We report on power- and frequency noise measurements of an Yb-doped fiber amplifier seeded by a nonplanar ring oscillator and identify actuators for both power and frequency stabilization of such a system.

Proton and gamma radiation tests on nonlinear crystals.

We report on the results of proton and gamma irradiation tests performed on nonlinear crystals for second- (SHG) and third-harmonic generation. Beta-barium borate (BBO), lithium triborate (LBO), and KTP crystals were exposed to three different energies of proton radiation (8, 70, and 300 MeV) and incremental doses of gamma radiation (up to 139 krad) in order to investigate the change in SHG performance and transmission spectra. BBO and LBO crystals turned out to be a suitable choice for SHG under radiative conditions.