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A Laser Interferometer Prototype with Pico-Meter Measurement Precision for Taiji Space Gravitational Wave Detection Missionin China

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Abstract

The laser interferometer is one of the most important key technologies for the space gravitational wave detection. A laser interferometer prototype with pico-meter measurement precision for Taiji mission in China is presented in the paper. The results showed that the path-length measurement precision reached 5 pm/√Hz within the frequency range of 10 mHz – 1 Hz by improving the temperature fluctuation noise and electronic readout noise of the laser interferometer, which meets the requirement of Taiji Pathfinder mission inside the frequency range of 1 mHz – 1 Hz under the weak-light condition. It would be a fine experimental platform for the key technologies demonstration including the laser pointing modulation and the laser phase-locking control to improve the precision for the low measurement noise.

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Acknowledgements

Authors thank the Southwest Institute of Technical Physics in Chengdu for providing the photodetector. This work is supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Grant No. XDB23030200, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant No. 61575209, and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Grant No. 2018024.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Microgravity Laboratory, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Yuqiong Li, Chenyu Wang, Hang Liu & Gang Jin

  2. School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China

    Chenyu Wang & Hang Liu

  3. Center for LTA System Research and Development, Academy of Opto-electronics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 10009, China

    Luyu Wang

  4. School of Optoelectronics, University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China

    Luyu Wang

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  1. Yuqiong Li
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Correspondence to Yuqiong Li.

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Li, Y., Wang, C., Wang, L. et al. A Laser Interferometer Prototype with Pico-Meter Measurement Precision for Taiji Space Gravitational Wave Detection Missionin China. Microgravity Sci. Technol. 32, 331–338 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-019-09769-9

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