Lasers for LISA

overview and phase characteristics

verfasst von

M. Tröbs, S. Barke, J. Möbius, M. Engelbrecht, D. Kracht, L. D'Arcio, G. Heinzel, K. Danzmann

Abstract

We have investigated two alternative laser systems for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). One consisted of the laser of LISA's technology precursor LISA Pathfinder and a fiber amplifier originally designed for a laser communication terminal onboard TerraSar-X. The other consisted of a commercial fiber distributed feedback (DFB) laser seeding a fiber amplifier. We have shown that the TerraSar-X amplifier can emit more than 1W without the onset of stimulated Brillouin scattering as required by LISA. We have measured power noise and frequency noise of the LISA Pathfinder laser (LPL) and the fiber laser. The fiber laser shows comparable or even lower power noise than the LPL. LISA will use electro-optical modulators (EOMs) between seed laser and amplifier for clock noise comparison between spacecraft. This scheme requires that the excess noise added by the amplifiers be negligible. We have investigated the phase characteristics of two fiber amplifiers emitting 1 W and found them to be compatible with the LISA requirement on amplifier differential phase noise.

Organisationseinheit(en)

Institut für Gravitationsphysik

Externe Organisation(en)

Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH)
Europäische Weltraumforschungs- und Technologiezentrum (ESTEC)
Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut)

Typ

Konferenzaufsatz in Fachzeitschrift

Journal

Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Band

154

ISSN

1742-6588

Publikationsdatum

2009

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Physik und Astronomie (insg.)

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/154/1/012016 (Zugang: Offen)