Stuttgart 2012 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 11: Präzisionsmessungen und Metrologie 2

Q 11.2: Gruppenbericht

Montag, 12. März 2012, 14:30–15:00, V7.03

Status of the GEO600 gravitational-wave detector — •Mirko Prijatelj and for the Geo600 Team — Albert-Einstein Institut, Hannover, Germany

The german-british project GEO600 is the only gravitational wave detector currently in operation. The VIRGO and LIGO detectors have recently started to undergo extensive upgrade programs. The GEO-HF upgrade program to GEO600 is approaching completion. Its goal is to enhance the sensitivity of GEO600 mainly at high frequencies above 500Hz. Several major elements of this program have already been completed, namely a change of the signal recycling mirror, the switch to a DC readout scheme and an increase in laser power. Furthermore we implemented an output mode cleaner as a fully automated subsystem and implemented a new laser system making great strides towards a planned overall tenfold laser power increase. The implementation of an automated system for squeezed vacuum injection into the interferometer gives us an additional stable improvement at high-frequency sensitivity. Future improvements to the laser system and a thermal compensation system will further improve sensitivity. I will present the challenges and rewards of upgrades to GEO600 as well as the current state of the detector.