Hannover 2010 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 14: Precision Measurements and Metrology II

Q 14.7: Talk

Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 15:45–16:00, A 310

Continuous-wave squeezed states at 1550 nm — •Moritz Mehmet, Tobias Eberle, Sebastian Steinlechner, Henning Vahlbruch, Karsten Danzmann, and Roman Schnabel — Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Leibniz Universität Hannover und Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut), Callinstrasse 38, 30167 Hannover

It seems likely that the potential to enhance the sensitivity of quantum noise limited interferometers will make squeezed-light-injection a standard tool in future Gravitational Wave (GW) detector technology. One means to reduce the inherent noise floor of future detectors could be the use of new materials for optical components. For example, silicon constitutes an excellent test mass material with a high mechanical quality making it superior to the currently used fused silica components. This change would entail the replacement of the presently used laser by lasers operating at 1550 nm at which silicon shows very low optical loss. Besides the issue of how lasers at 1550 nm can be turned into reliable laser sources for future GW interferometers, research has to be undertaken on how to engineer the respective squeezed states.

Here, we report on the generation of cw squeezed vacuum states at a wavelength of 1550 nm with a non-classical noise reduction of 6.4 dB. These squeezed vacuum states were injected into the dark port of a Sagnac interferometer. A reduction of the interferometer shot noise by approximately 4.5 dB was observed and the enhancement of the signal-to-noise ratio for a phase modulation signal generated within the interferometer could be demonstrated.