Development of New Diagnostic Techniques for Preliminary and in Situ Characterization of Advanced LIGO Optical Components

佛罗里达大学和该研究所的科学家与俄罗斯科学院应用物理研究所合作开展的一项研究项目，旨在调查高功率激光如何通过吸收和加热来扭曲引力波探测器中的精密光学部件。将开发一种方法，用于远程测量约十亿分之一米的光路失真。此外，还将开发隔离反向传播的高功率激光光束的新方法，以防止与敏感的、相位稳定的激光相互作用。这项研究将在促进地面引力波探测器，如激光干涉仪引力波天文台(LIGO)的运行方面发挥重要作用。利用基于高功率激光的大型干涉仪探测引力波，将通过探测黑洞-中子星碰撞等灾难性天体物理现象，打开一扇了解宇宙的新窗口。为了提高未来干涉仪的灵敏度，像这里开发的高灵敏度测量技术对于检测这些干涉仪的运行状态至关重要，这些干涉仪是有史以来建造的最灵敏的仪器。

A research program carried out by scientists at the University of Florida and the Institute in collaboration with the Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences to investigate how high power laser beams can distort precision optical components in gravitational wave detectors through absorption and heating. Methods will be developed for remotely measuring optical path distortions on the order of one billionth of a meter. In addition, novel methods for isolating back-propagating high power laser beams will be developed to prevent interactions with sensitive, phase-stabilized lasers. This research will play a major role in facilitating the operation of ground-based gravitational wave detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO). The detection of gravitational waves by large-scale high power laser-based interferometers will open a new window on the universe through the detection of cataclysmic astrophysical phenomena such as black hole-neutron star collisions. To enhance the sensitivity of future interferometers, highly sensitive measurement techniques such as those developed here are crucial for sensing the operational state of these interferometers, the most sensitive instruments ever constructed.