Speaker
Description
The next generation of GW detectors will impose stringent requirements on laser power stability. One promising active power stabilization scheme is based on radiation pressure sensing: laser power fluctuations are transferred into the displacement of a movable mirror (micro-oscillator), which is detected and provides an error signal for the power stabilization control system.
In 2021, a proof of principle experiment of this scheme was presented, demonstrating the potential of the concept, namely, the ability to achieve a relative power noise (RPN) proportional to the inverse of the mean laser power and to the square root of the micro-oscillator spring constant.
In this new experiment, we aim to further advance these results and pave the way toward meeting the requirements of future detectors. We implement a modified setup designed to sense (and stabilize) power fluctuations of a 10 W laser source at a wavelength of 1550 nm by means of a new micro-oscillator with an extremely low spring constant and high reflectivity, capable of withstanding such high laser power, thereby further improving the efficiency of the sensing mechanism.