Dresden 2011 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 57: Poster 3: Quantengase, Ultrakalte Atome, Ultrakalte Moleküle, Materiewellen Optik, Präzisionsmessungen, Metrologie

Q 57.85: Poster

Thursday, March 17, 2011, 16:30–19:30, P1

Optical simulations for inter-satellite interferometry — •Christoph Mahrdt, Evgenia Granova, Benjamin Sheard, Gudrun Wanner, Gerhard Heinzel, and Karsten Danzmann — Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitations Physik (Albert-Einstein-Insitut) , Hannover und QUEST, Leibniz Universität Hannover

High precision metrology based on laser interferometry between satellites is currently under development for fundamental physics missions such as LISA or earth observation missions like a GRACE follow-on. These missions will measure the relative distance between two satellites with an unprecedented accuracy. The development of optical systems for these missions is highly demanding, since issues such as stray light, wavefront errors, beam pointing and optical pathlength stability have to be taken care of. Careful analysis of the optical setups need to be done and not all properties of an inter-satellite interferometer can be tested on ground. Therefore, optical simulations are needed to find possible error sources, optimise the setups and to find requirements on the placement and alignment of optical components. A software toolkit currently under development combines raytracing with Gaussian beam propagation for calculation of optical pathlength, the beam axes and interferometer signals, including phase and differential wavefront sensing. To trace non-Gaussian beams through interferometers, decomposition into Hermite-Gauss modes is implemented and under verification. Another part under development is the implementation of general astigmatism for Gaussian beams. This talk will give an overview of the simulation software, its status and applications.