A Gravitational Wave Observatory Operating Beyond the Quantum Shot-Noise Limit

Authors

J. Abadie, California Institute of Technology
B. P. Abbott, California State University Fullerton
R. Abbott, University of Glasgow
T. D. Abbott, LIGO
M. Abernathy, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute)
C. Adams, Leibniz University Hannover
R. Adhikari, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
C. Affeldt, Stanford University
P. Ajith, University of Florida
B. Allen, Louisiana State University
G. S. Allen, University of Birmingham
E. Amador Ceron, LIGO
D. Amariutei, Montana State University
R. S. Amin, Syracuse University
S. B. Anderson, University of Western Australia
W. G. Anderson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
K. Arai, Columbia University
M. A. Arain, University of Texas at Brownsville
M. C. Araya, San Jose State University
S. M. Aston, Lomonosov Moscow State University
D. Atkinson, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
P. Aufmuth, Pennsylvania State University
C. Aulbert, Washington State University Pullman
B. E. Aylott, University of Oregon
S. Babak, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
P. Baker, University of Maryland
S. Ballmer, University of Massachusetts
D. Barker, University of Toronto
B. Barr, Tsinghua University
P. Barriga, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Shaon Ghosh, Montclair State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Abstract

Around the globe several observatories are seeking the first direct detection of gravitational waves (GWs). These waves are predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity and are generated, for example, by black-hole binary systems. Present GW detectors are Michelson-type kilometre-scale laser interferometers measuring the distance changes between mirrors suspended in vacuum. The sensitivity of these detectors at frequencies above several hundred hertz is limited by the vacuum (zero-point) fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. A quantum technology - the injection of squeezed light - offers a solution to this problem. Here we demonstrate the squeezed-light enhancement of GEO 600, which will be the GW observatory operated by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration in its search for GWs for the next 3-4 years. GEO 600 now operates with its best ever sensitivity, which proves the usefulness of quantum entanglement and the qualification of squeezed light as a key technology for future GW astronomy.

DOI

10.1038/NPHYS2083

MSU Digital Commons Citation

Abadie, J.; Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M.; Adams, C.; Adhikari, R.; Affeldt, C.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allen, G. S.; Amador Ceron, E.; Amariutei, D.; Amin, R. S.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Arai, K.; Arain, M. A.; Araya, M. C.; Aston, S. M.; Atkinson, D.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; Aylott, B. E.; Babak, S.; Baker, P.; Ballmer, S.; Barker, D.; Barr, B.; Barriga, P.; and Ghosh, Shaon, "A Gravitational Wave Observatory Operating Beyond the Quantum Shot-Noise Limit" (2011). Department of Physics and Astronomy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 2.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/physics-astron-facpubs/2

Published Citation

LIGO Scientific Collaboration. (2011). A gravitational wave observatory operating beyond the quantum shot-noise limit: squeezed light in application. arXiv preprint arXiv:1109.2295.