Developing a toolset for adjustable picometer-stable interferometer @LISAcommunity

Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago

Optical benches for low-frequency, picometer-stable laser interferometry, as used in the space-based gravitational wave detector LISA, are usually made by bonding silicate glass components to an ultra-low-expansion glass ceramic. To provide ground-support equipment for the mission and for testing parts of the instrument we are studying a toolset to realize picometer-stable interferometers with readjustable and freely positionable optical components. To realize this, we study a combination of a glass-ceramic optical bench with thermally compensated optical mounts which are mounted on the bench using invar insets, screws and clamps. Our toolset will be tested inside a vacuum chamber and a thermal shield to reduce temperature noise and we aim to reach a stability of 1 pm/âˆšHz down to 3mHz. We present the current status of our set-up and the concept for a pre-experiment that we are using to verify the stability of our approach before implementing a larger-scale optical bench.

Authors: Marcel Beck, Oliver Gerberding
Presenters: Marcel Beck

Developing a toolset for adjustable picometer-stable interferometer

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