Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss mode generation and interferometry for gravitational wave detectors

Abstract

We report on the first experimental demonstration of higher-order Laguerre-Gauss (LGpl) mode generation and interferometry using a method scalable to the requirements of gravitational wave (GW) detection. GW detectors which use higher-order LGpl modes will be less susceptible to mirror thermal noise, which is expected to limit the sensitivity of all currently planned terrestrial detectors. We used a diffractive optic and a mode-cleaner cavity to convert a fundamental LG00 Gaussian beam into an LG33 mode with a purity of 98%. The ratio between the power of the LG00 mode of our laser and the power of the LG33 transmitted by the cavity was 36%. By measuring the transmission of our setup using the LG00, we inferred that the conversion efficiency specific to the LG33 mode was 49%. We illuminated a Michelson interferometer with the LG33 beam and achieved a visibility of 97%.

4 pages, 5 figures

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Cited by in corpus (22)

• Gravitational Radiation Detection with Laser Interferometry
• Limitations to the determination of a Laguerre-Gauss spectrum via projective, phase-flattening measurement
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• Weak measurements with orbital angular momentum pointer states
• Spin-to-Orbital Angular Momentum Conversion in Semiconductor Microcavities
• Generation of high-purity higher-order Laguerre-Gauss beams at high laser power
• Thermal noise limited higher-order mode locking of a reference cavity
• Generation of very high-order high purity Gaussian modes via spatial light modulation
• Probing higher OAM of LG beams via diffraction through translated single slit
• Effects of Mirror Aberrations on Laguerre-Gaussian Beams in Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Detectors
• Radial mode dependence of optical beam shifts
• Minimum Noise Optical Coatings for Interferometric Detectors of Gravitational Waves
• Single-mode squeezing in arbitrary spatial modes
• Fisher-Information Efficient Metagratings for Transverse Displacement Metrology at the Measurement Independent Shot-Noise Limit
• High Frame-Rate Phase Camera for High-Resolution Wavefront Sensing in Gravitational-Wave Detectors
• Testing the Wave-Particle Duality of Gravitational Wave Using the Spin-Orbital-Hall Effect of Structured Light
• Dihedral beams
• Folding Gravitational-Wave Interferometers
• Thermal Deformation Reduction in High-Power Interferometry with Higher-Order Laser Modes
• Realization of doubly inhomogeneous waveplates for structuring of light beams
• How gravitational waves change photon orbital angular momentum quantum states