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EPJ Web of Conferences

A gravitational wave detector operating beyond the quantum shot-noise limit: Squeezed light in application

Roman Schnabel

Published Jan 1, 2013• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This contribution reviews our recent progress on the generation of squeezed light [1], and also the recent squeezed-light enhancement of the gravitational wave detector GEO 600 [2]. GEO 600 is currently the only GW observatory operated by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration in its search for gravitational waves. With the help of squeezed states of light it now operates with its best ever sensitivity, which not only proves the qualification of squeezed light as a key technology for future gravitational wave astronomy but also the usefulness of quantum entanglement.

DOI
10.1051/epjconf/20135702002

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This contribution reviews our recent progress on the generation of squeezed light [1], and also the recent squeezed-light enhancement of the gravitational wave detector GEO 600 [2]. GEO 600 is currently the only GW observatory operated by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration in its search for gravitational waves. With the help of squeezed states of light it now operates with its best ever sensitivity, which not only proves the qualification of squeezed light as a key technology for future gravitational wave astronomy but also the usefulness of quantum entanglement.
A fundamental noise source limiting the measurement sensitivity of interferometric gravitational wave (GW) observatories is the light's quantum noise. While the sensitivity of the first observatory generation was limited by the shot noise at Fourier frequencies above several hundred hertz, the future observatory generations are expected to be limited by quantum noise also in their low-frequency detection band. Squeezed states of the light field allow for improving the sensitivity at all quantum-noise-limited frequencies. Recently, a squeezing-reduced shot noise of the GW observatory GEO 600 was demonstrated. Based on this success, the Einstein Telescope design study proposes squeezed-light injection to reduce shot noise as well as quantum radiation pressure noise by a factor of ten in power, i.e. by 10 dB. This contribution summarizes the current state of the art in the field of squeezed-light generation for gravitational wave astronomy and the prospects for the intermediate future.
The first detections of gravitational waves have opened an exciting new field of astronomy. One of the most fundamental limitations for the sensitivity of current and future interferometric gravitational-wave detectors is imposed by the quantum nature of light: Quantum vacuum fluctuations entering the interferometer through the readout port will contribute to the detection noise, at high frequencies in the form of shot noise and at low frequencies by radiation pressure noise. A promising way to reduce this quantum noise is the injection of squeezed states of light that have a lower uncertainty in one quadrature than the vacuum state. The GEO 600 gravitational-wave detector demonstrated the use of squeezed light in 2010 and it is now the first detector to routinely apply squeezing to improve its sensitivity beyond the limits set by classical quantum shot noise. This thesis details the practical aspects of long-term stable and efficient squeezed-light integration in a large-scale gravitational-wave detector. Imperfections that can limit the amount of observable non-classical noise improvement, such as optical losses and phase fluctuations, were studied in detail and methods for their mitigation were developed. Novel control schemes for the active stabilisation of the squeezed light field's phase and alignment were one main focus of the investigations. At the same time, important experience was gathered in the operation of the squeezed light source over long timescales. Over the course of the thesis work, improvements were implemented that significantly increased the performance of the squeezed-light application. Squeezing was injected with an overall duty cycle of 88%, reaching a noise reduction of up to 4.4 dB, corresponding to a 40% lowered shot-noise level. This work has firmly established the practical application of squeezing as a mature technology. The gained knowledge will directly inform the implementation of squeezed light for all future gravitational-wave detectors.
A fundamental noise source limiting the measurement sensitivity of interferometric gravitational wave (GW) observatories is the light's quantum noise. While the sensitivity of the first observatory generation was limited by the shot noise at Fourier frequencies above several hundred hertz, the future observatory generations are expected to be limited by quantum noise also in their low-frequency detection band. Squeezed states of the light field allow for improving the sensitivity at all quantum-noise-limited frequencies. Recently, a squeezing-reduced shot noise of the GW observatory GEO 600 was demonstrated. Based on this success, the Einstein Telescope design study proposes squeezed-light injection to reduce shot noise as well as quantum radiation pressure noise by a factor of ten in power, i.e. by 10 dB. This contribution summarizes the current state of the art in the field of squeezed-light generation for gravitational wave astronomy and the prospects for the intermediate future.
Among the revolutionary predictions of Einstein’s theory of general relativity is the existence of gravitational waves, which are perturbations in the fabric of spacetime that travel at the speed of light. The first indirect evidence pointing to their existence came from the observation of the Hulse-Taylor pulsar in 1974[4]. More recently, gravitational wave observatories like the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo have been built with the purpose of detecting gravitational waves (GW) directly, providing not only further evidence in support of general relativity, but also a whole new way of viewing the cosmos. The strain produced by a passing gravitational wave (namely, the relative change in the length of the matter a gravitational wave passes through) is so small that the best sensitivity achieved by the detectors has not produced a positive detection as of today. With a clear understanding that there should be gravitational waves, scientists are working on improving the sensitivity of the detectors to increase the likelihood of a detection. One of the main sources of noise for the next generation gravitational wave detectors, such as advanced LIGO, is shot noise. Shot noise dominates the noise spectrum above a few hundred Hz. This noise is due to uncertainties in quantum statistics, according to the generalized uncertainty principle. There are two ways to reduce the shot noise. The first way is to increase the intensity of the
Nearly a century after Einstein first predicted the existence of gravitational waves, a global network of Earth-based gravitational wave observatories 1-4 is seeking to directly detect this faint radiation using precision laser interferometry. Photon shot noise, due to the quantum nature of light, imposes a fundamental limit on the attometre-level sensitivity of the kilometre-scale Michelson interferometers deployed for this task. Here, we inject squeezed states to improve the performance of one of the detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) beyond the quantum noise limit, most notably in the frequency region down to 150 Hz, critically important for several astrophysical sources, with no deterioration of performance observed at any frequency. With the injection of squeezed states, this LIGO detector demonstrated the best broadband sensitivity to gravitational waves ever achieved, with important implications for observing the gravitational-wave Universe with unprecedented sensitivity.
A century after Einstein's formulation of general relativity, the detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) made the first direct detection of gravitational waves. This historic achievement was the culmination of a world-wide effort and decades of instrument research. While sufficient for this monumental discovery, the current generation of gravitational-wave detectors represent the least sensitive devices necessary for the task; improved detectors will be required to fully exploit this new window on the Universe. In this paper, we review the application of squeezed vacuum states of light to gravitational-wave detectors as a way to reduce quantum noise, which currently limits their performance in much of the detection band.