Sensor noise in LISA Pathfinder

Laser frequency noise and its coupling to the optical test mass readout

authored by: LISA Pathfinder Collaboration , M. Armano, H. Audley, J. Baird, P. Binetruy, M. Born, D. Bortoluzzi, N. Brandt, E. Castelli, A. Cavalleri, A. Cesarini, A. M. Cruise, K. Danzmann, M. De Deus Silva, I. Diepholz, G. Dixon, R. Dolesi, L. Ferraioli, V. Ferroni, E. D. Fitzsimons, R. Flatscher, M. Freschi, A. García, R. Gerndt, L. Gesa, D. Giardini, F. Gibert, R. Giusteri, C. Grimani, J. Grzymisch, F. Guzman, I. Harrison, M. S. Hartig, G. Hechenblaikner, G. Heinzel, M. Hewitson, D. Hollington, D. Hoyland, M. Hueller, H. Inchauspé, O. Jennrich, P. Jetzer, U. Johann, B. Johlander, N. Karnesis, B. Kaune, C. J. Killow, N. Korsakova, J. A. Lobo, J. P. López-Zaragoza, G. Wanner, S. Paczkowski, Jens Reiche, L. Wissel, A. Wittchen
Abstract: The LISA Pathfinder (LPF) mission successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the technology needed for the future space borne gravitational wave observatory LISA. A key subsystem under study was the laser interferometer, which measured the changes in relative distance in between two test masses (TMs). It achieved a sensitivity of 32.0-1.7+2.4 fm/Hz, which was significantly better than the prelaunch tests. This improved performance allowed direct observation of the influence of laser frequency noise in the readout. The differences in optical path lengths between the measurement and reference beams in the individual interferometers of our setup determined the level of this undesired readout noise. Here, we discuss the dedicated experiments performed on LPF to measure these differences with high precision. We reached differences in path length difference between (368±5) μm and (329.6±0.9) μm which are significantly below the required level of 1 mm or 1000 μm. These results are an important contribution to our understanding of the overall sensor performance. Moreover, we observed varying levels of laser frequency noise over the course of the mission. We provide evidence that these do not originate from the laser frequency stabilization scheme which worked as expected. Therefore, this frequency stabilization would be applicable to other missions with similar laser frequency stability requirements.
Organisation(s): Institute of Gravitation Physics
PhoenixD: Photonics, Optics, and Engineering - Innovation Across Disciplines
Institute of Quantum Optics
External Organisation(s): European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC)
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
Observatoire de Paris (OBSPARIS)
University of Trento
Airbus Group
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)
Fondazione Bruno Kessler
University of Urbino "Carlo Bo"
University of Birmingham
European Space Astronomy Centre
ETH Zurich
Royal Observatory
Bremen University of Applied Sciences
Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)
Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC)
isardSAT
Texas A and M University
European Space Operation Center (ESOC)
Imperial College London
Heidelberg University
Universität Zürich (UZH)
University of Glasgow
Type: Article
Journal: Physical Review D
Volume: 109
ISSN: 2470-0010
Publication date: 16.02.2024
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.109.042003 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{633d825da1764485a5cc835ea629b3c2,
title = "Sensor noise in LISA Pathfinder: Laser frequency noise and its coupling to the optical test mass readout",
abstract = "The LISA Pathfinder (LPF) mission successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the technology needed for the future space borne gravitational wave observatory LISA. A key subsystem under study was the laser interferometer, which measured the changes in relative distance in between two test masses (TMs). It achieved a sensitivity of 32.0-1.7+2.4 fm/Hz, which was significantly better than the prelaunch tests. This improved performance allowed direct observation of the influence of laser frequency noise in the readout. The differences in optical path lengths between the measurement and reference beams in the individual interferometers of our setup determined the level of this undesired readout noise. Here, we discuss the dedicated experiments performed on LPF to measure these differences with high precision. We reached differences in path length difference between (368±5) μm and (329.6±0.9) μm which are significantly below the required level of 1 mm or 1000 μm. These results are an important contribution to our understanding of the overall sensor performance. Moreover, we observed varying levels of laser frequency noise over the course of the mission. We provide evidence that these do not originate from the laser frequency stabilization scheme which worked as expected. Therefore, this frequency stabilization would be applicable to other missions with similar laser frequency stability requirements.",
author = "{LISA Pathfinder Collaboration} and M. Armano and H. Audley and J. Baird and P. Binetruy and M. Born and D. Bortoluzzi and N. Brandt and E. Castelli and A. Cavalleri and A. Cesarini and Cruise, {A. M.} and K. Danzmann and {De Deus Silva}, M. and I. Diepholz and G. Dixon and R. Dolesi and L. Ferraioli and V. Ferroni and Fitzsimons, {E. D.} and R. Flatscher and M. Freschi and A. Garc{\'i}a and R. Gerndt and L. Gesa and D. Giardini and F. Gibert and R. Giusteri and C. Grimani and J. Grzymisch and F. Guzman and I. Harrison and Hartig, {M. S.} and G. Hechenblaikner and G. Heinzel and M. Hewitson and D. Hollington and D. Hoyland and M. Hueller and H. Inchausp{\'e} and O. Jennrich and P. Jetzer and U. Johann and B. Johlander and N. Karnesis and B. Kaune and Killow, {C. J.} and N. Korsakova and Lobo, {J. A.} and L{\'o}pez-Zaragoza, {J. P.} and G. Wanner and S. Paczkowski and Jens Reiche and L. Wissel and A. Wittchen",
note = "Funding Information: This work has been made possible by the LISA Pathfinder mission, which is part of the space-science programme of the European Space Agency. The Albert Einstein Institute acknowledges the support of the German Space Agency, DLR. The work is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy based on a resolution of the German Bundestag (No. FKZ 50OQ0501, No. FKZ 50OQ1601, and No. FKZ 50OQ1801). We also acknowledge the support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany{\textquoteright}s Excellence Strategy—EXC-2123 QuantumFrontiers—390837967. The French contribution has been supported by the CNES (Accord Specific de projet CNES 1316634/CNRS 103747), the CNRS, the Observatoire de Paris and the University Paris-Diderot. E. Plagnol and H. Inchausp{\'e} would also like to acknowledge the financial support of the UnivEarthS Labex program at Sorbonne Paris Cit{\'e} (No. ANR-10-LABX-0023 and No. ANR-11-IDEX-0005-02). The Italian contribution has been supported by ASI (Grant No. 2017-29-H.1-2020 “Attivit{\`a} per la fase A della missione LISA”) and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare. The Spanish contribution has been supported by Contracts No. AYA2010-15709 (MICINN), No. ESP2013-47637-P, No. ESP2015-67234-P, and No. ESP2017-90084-P (MINECO). Support from AGAUR (Generalitat de Catalunya) Contract No. 2017-SGR-1469 is also acknowledged. M. Nofrarias acknowledges support from Fundacion General CSIC (Programa ComFuturo). F. Rivas acknowledges an FPI contract from MINECO. The Swiss contribution acknowledges the support of the ETH Research Grant No. ETH-05 16-2 and the Swiss Space Office (SSO) via the PRODEX Programme of ESA. L. Ferraioli is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation. The UK groups wish to acknowledge support from the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA), the University of Glasgow, the University of Birmingham and Imperial College London. J. I. Thorpe and J. Slutsky acknowledge the support of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). N. Korsakova would like to thank for the support from the CNES Fellowship. The LISA Pathfinder collaboration would like to acknowledge Prof. Pierre Binetruy (deceased 30 March 2017), Prof. Jos{\'e} Alberto Lobo (deceased 30 September 2012) and Lluis Gesa Bote (deceased 29 May 2020) for their remarkable contribution to the LISA Pathfinder science.",
year = "2024",
month = feb,
day = "16",
doi = "10.1103/PhysRevD.109.042003",
language = "English",
volume = "109",
journal = "Physical Review D",
issn = "2470-0010",
publisher = "American Institute of Physics",
number = "4",
}