A thermal compensation system for the gravitational wave detector virgo
Date
2012
Authors
Accadia, T.
Acernese, F.
Antonucci, F.
Astone, P.
Barone, F
Bauer, T. S.
Bradaschia, C.
Genin, E.
Huet, D.
Rabeling, David
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Conference Organising Committee
Abstract
Thermal lensing due to the absorption of the laser beam in core optics of gravitational wave interferometers can represent a strong limitation to their operation and sensitivity. This effect has already been observed in the present detectors and will become more relevant in the future upgraded interferometers, due to the much higher circulating power. A thermal compensation system, based on a CO2 laser projector, has been installed in Virgo, allowing to increase the interferometer input power from 7 to 17 W. The thermal compensation system can introduce displacement noise by means of several mechanisms. This noise depends on the CO2 laser intensity fluctuations and on the power needed to compensate thermal effects. To make the displacement noise compliant with Virgo specifications, a feedback system to reduce the CO 2 laser intensity fluctuations has been implemented.
Description
Keywords
Keywords: Circulating power; Displacement noise; Gravitational wave detectors; Gravitational wave interferometers; Interferometric detectors; Laser intensity fluctuations; Thermal compensation; Thermal lensing; Astrophysics; Detectors; Gravitational effects; Gravit Gravitational waves; Interferometric detectors; Thermal lensing
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Source
12th Marcel Grossmann Meeting on Recent Dev. in Theoretical and Experimental General Relativity, Astrophysics and Relativistic Field Theories - Proc. of the MG 2009 Meeting on General Relativity
Type
Conference paper