Abstract

One of the limiting noise sources in the current generation of gravitational wave detectors, such as the advanced laser interferometer gravitational wave observatory (aLIGO), is the thermal noise in the interferometer’s test mass coatings. One proposed method to reduce the coupling of this noise source to the gravitational wave readout is using a laser beam in the higher-order spatial ${\mathrm{LG}}_{33}$ mode within the interferometer. Here we show that the current four-mirror cavities of aLIGO are not compatible with Laguerre–Gauss modes due to astigmatism. A non-degeneracy of modes of the same order could be observed in experiment and simulation. We demonstrate that a non-planar cavity could be used instead as it compensates for the astigmatism and transmits the ${\mathrm{LG}}_{33}$ mode undisturbed.

© 2017 Optical Society of America

Nd:YVO₄ high-power master oscillator power amplifier laser system for second-generation gravitational wave detectors

Fabian Thies, Nina Bode, Patrick Oppermann, Maik Frede, Bastian Schulz, and Benno Willke
Opt. Lett. 44(3) 719-722 (2019)

Frequency-doubling of continuous laser light in the Laguerre–Gaussian modes LG_0,0 and LG_3,3

Joscha Heinze, Henning Vahlbruch, and Benno Willke
Opt. Lett. 45(18) 5262-5265 (2020)

Role of beam waist in Laguerre–Gauss expansion of vortex beams

Giuseppe Vallone
Opt. Lett. 42(6) 1097-1100 (2017)

Examining second-harmonic generation of high-order Laguerre–Gaussian modes through a single cylindrical lens

Xinyuan Fang, Zeyu Kuang, Peng Chen, Haocheng Yang, Qian Li, Wei Hu, Yanqing Lu, Yong Zhang, and Min Xiao
Opt. Lett. 42(21) 4387-4390 (2017)

On-chip generation of broadband high-order Laguerre–Gaussian modes in a metasurface

Yongmei Wang, Xinyuan Fang, Zeyu Kuang, Huijun Wang, Dunzhao Wei, Yuzhang Liang, Qianjin Wang, Ting Xu, Yong Zhang, and Min Xiao
Opt. Lett. 42(13) 2463-2466 (2017)