Enhanced Sensitivity of the LIGO Gravitational Wave Detector by Using Squeezed States of Light

Abstract

Nearly a century after Einstein first predicted the existence of gravitational waves, a global network of Earth-based gravitational wave observatories1-4 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.

Department(s)

Physics

Keywords and Phrases

Astrophysical sources; Enhanced sensitivity; Frequency regions; Global networks; Gravitational wave detectors; Gravitational-wave observatory; Laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatories; Quantum noise limit; Detectors; Gravitational effects; Laser interferometry; Michelson interferometers; Observatories; Gravity waves

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1749-4885

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2013 Springer Verlag, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jul 2013

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