Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 245015 |
| Journal | Classical and quantum gravity |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 24 |
| Publication status | Published - 29 Nov 2016 |
Abstract
The laser interferometer space antenna (LISA) is a future space-based interferometric gravitational-wave detector consisting of three spacecraft in a triangular configuration. The interferometric measurements of path length changes between satellites will be performed on optical benches in the satellites. Angular misalignments of the interfering beams couple into the length measurement and represent a significant noise source. Imaging systems will be used to reduce this tilt-to-length coupling. We designed and constructed an optical test bed to experimentally investigate tilt-to-length coupling. It consists of two separate structures, a minimal optical bench and a telescope simulator. The minimal optical bench comprises the science interferometer where the local laser is interfered with light from a remote spacecraft. In our experiment, a simulated version of this received beam is generated on the telescope simulator. The telescope simulator provides a tilting beam, a reference interferometer and an additional static beam as a phase reference. The tilting beam can either be a flat-top beam or a Gaussian beam. We avoid tilt-to-length coupling in the reference interferometer by using a small photo diode placed at an image of the beam rotation point. We show that the test bed is operational with an initial measurement of tilt-to-length coupling without imaging systems. Furthermore, we show the design of two different imaging systems whose performance will be investigated in future experiments.
Keywords
- laser interferometer space antenna, optical bench, telescope simulator, tilt-to-length coupling
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)
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In: Classical and quantum gravity, Vol. 33, No. 24, 245015, 29.11.2016.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Design and construction of an optical test bed for LISA imaging systems and tilt-to-length coupling
AU - Chwalla, M.
AU - Danzmann, K.
AU - Fernández Barranco, G.
AU - Fitzsimons, E.
AU - Gerberding, O.
AU - Heinzel, G.
AU - Killow, C. J.
AU - Lieser, M.
AU - Perreur-Lloyd, M.
AU - Robertson, D. I.
AU - Schuster, S.
AU - Schwarze, T. S.
AU - Tröbs, M.
AU - Ward, H.
AU - Zwetz, M.
N1 - Funding Information: We acknowledge funding by the European Space Agency within the project Optical Bench Development for LISA (22331/09/NL/HB), support from UK Space Agency, University of Glasgow, Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA), and support by Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft und Raumfahrt (DLR) with funding from the Bundesministerium f?r Wirtschaft und Technologie (DLR project reference 50 OQ 0601). We thank the German Research Foundation for funding the cluster of Excellence QUEST?Centre for Quantum Engineering and Space-Time Research.
PY - 2016/11/29
Y1 - 2016/11/29
N2 - The laser interferometer space antenna (LISA) is a future space-based interferometric gravitational-wave detector consisting of three spacecraft in a triangular configuration. The interferometric measurements of path length changes between satellites will be performed on optical benches in the satellites. Angular misalignments of the interfering beams couple into the length measurement and represent a significant noise source. Imaging systems will be used to reduce this tilt-to-length coupling. We designed and constructed an optical test bed to experimentally investigate tilt-to-length coupling. It consists of two separate structures, a minimal optical bench and a telescope simulator. The minimal optical bench comprises the science interferometer where the local laser is interfered with light from a remote spacecraft. In our experiment, a simulated version of this received beam is generated on the telescope simulator. The telescope simulator provides a tilting beam, a reference interferometer and an additional static beam as a phase reference. The tilting beam can either be a flat-top beam or a Gaussian beam. We avoid tilt-to-length coupling in the reference interferometer by using a small photo diode placed at an image of the beam rotation point. We show that the test bed is operational with an initial measurement of tilt-to-length coupling without imaging systems. Furthermore, we show the design of two different imaging systems whose performance will be investigated in future experiments.
AB - The laser interferometer space antenna (LISA) is a future space-based interferometric gravitational-wave detector consisting of three spacecraft in a triangular configuration. The interferometric measurements of path length changes between satellites will be performed on optical benches in the satellites. Angular misalignments of the interfering beams couple into the length measurement and represent a significant noise source. Imaging systems will be used to reduce this tilt-to-length coupling. We designed and constructed an optical test bed to experimentally investigate tilt-to-length coupling. It consists of two separate structures, a minimal optical bench and a telescope simulator. The minimal optical bench comprises the science interferometer where the local laser is interfered with light from a remote spacecraft. In our experiment, a simulated version of this received beam is generated on the telescope simulator. The telescope simulator provides a tilting beam, a reference interferometer and an additional static beam as a phase reference. The tilting beam can either be a flat-top beam or a Gaussian beam. We avoid tilt-to-length coupling in the reference interferometer by using a small photo diode placed at an image of the beam rotation point. We show that the test bed is operational with an initial measurement of tilt-to-length coupling without imaging systems. Furthermore, we show the design of two different imaging systems whose performance will be investigated in future experiments.
KW - laser interferometer space antenna
KW - optical bench
KW - telescope simulator
KW - tilt-to-length coupling
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85003894377&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1088/0264-9381/33/24/245015
DO - 10.1088/0264-9381/33/24/245015
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85003894377
VL - 33
JO - Classical and quantum gravity
JF - Classical and quantum gravity
SN - 0264-9381
IS - 24
M1 - 245015
ER -