A laser system for the AURIGA detector optical transduction chain

Year: 2002

Authors: Conti L., De Rosa M., Marin F.

Autors Affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Padova, and INFN, Sezione di Padova; Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Firenze, and INFN, Sezione di Firenze, and LENS Via Sansone 1, 5019 Sesto Fiorentino(Fl), Italy

Abstract: We describe a low frequency noise laser system conceived for the readout of small mechanical vibrations. The system consists of a Nd:YAG source stabilized to a high Finesse Fabry-Perot cavity and achieves the best performance in the range 1-10 kHz, with a minimum residual noise of 4 × 10-3 Hz/ vHz. We perform an extended characterization of the frequency stability by means of an independent optical cavity and we also measure the residual fluctuations after transmission through an optical fiber. Our apparatus is optimized for the use in an optical readout for the gravitational wave detector AURIGA, where a laser system with the characteristics here reported will allow an improvement of one order of magnitude in the detector sensibility.

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KeyWords: Cryogenics; Electrooptical devices; Fabry-Perot interferometers; Frequency stability; Gravity waves; Light modulators; Light transmission; Optical fibers; Optical sensors; Spurious signal noise; Transducers; Vibrations (mechanical), Frequency stabilization; Gravitational wave detector; Laser system; Optical transconduction chain; Optomechanical transducer, Neodymium lasers

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