Squeezing the quantum noise of a gravitational-wave detector below the standard quantum limit

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Jia, Wenxuan; Xu, Victoria; Kuns, Kevin; Nakano, Masayuki; Barsotti, Lisa; Evans, Matthew; Mavalvala, Nergis
• 署名单位: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-8951
• DOI: 10.1126/science.ado8069
• 发表日期: 2024-09-20
• 页码: 1318-1321
• 关键词: light

摘要

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle dictates that the position and momentum of an object cannot be simultaneously measured with arbitrary precision, giving rise to an apparent limitation known as the standard quantum limit (SQL). Gravitational-wave detectors use photons to continuously measure the positions of freely falling mirrors and so are affected by the SQL. We investigated the performance of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) after the experimental realization of frequency-dependent squeezing designed to surpass the SQL. For the LIGO Livingston detector, we found that the upgrade reduces quantum noise below the SQL by a maximum of three decibels between 35 and 75 hertz while achieving a broadband sensitivity improvement, increasing the overall detector sensitivity during astrophysical observations.