Characterization and evasion of backscattered light in the squeezed-light enhanced gravitational wave interferometer GEO 600.

• DOI: 10.15488/17013
• Publication Date: 2023-10-31
• Authors: Fabio Bergamin; James Lough; Emil Schreiber; Hartmut Grote; Moritz Mehmet; Henning Vahlbruch; Christoph Affeldt; Tomislav Andric; Aparna Bisht; Marc Brinkmann; Volker Kringel; Harald Lück; Nikhil Mukund; Severin Nadji; Borja Sorazu; Kenneth Strain; Michael Weinert; Karsten Danzmann
• Keywords: Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors; Gravitational effects; Orbits; FOS: Physical sciences; Noise abatement; Dewey Decimal Classification::500 | Naturwissenschaften::530 | Physik; Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det); Backscattering; Gravity waves; Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics; Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM); Physics - Optics; Optics (physics.optics)

Squeezed light is injected into the dark port of gravitational wave interferometers, in order to reduce the quantum noise. A fraction of the interferometer output light can reach the OPO due to sub-optimal isolation of the squeezing injection path. This backscattered light interacts with squeezed light generation process, introducing additional measurement noise. We present a theoretical description of the noise coupling mechanism and we prove the model with experimental results. We propose a control scheme to achieve a de-amplification of the backscattered light inside the OPO with a consequent reduction of the noise caused by it. The scheme was implemented at the GEO 600 detector and has proven to be crucial in maintaining a good level of quantum noise reduction of the interferometer for high parametric gain of the OPO. In particular, the mitigation of the backscattered light noise helped in reaching 6 dB of quantum noise reduction [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 041102 (2021)10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.041102]. We show that the impact of backscattered-light-induced noise on the squeezing performance is phenomenologically equivalent to increased phase noise of the squeezing angle control. The results discussed in this paper provide a way for a more accurate estimation of the residual phase noise of the squeezed light field. Finally, the knowledge of the backscattered light noise coupling mechanism is a useful tool to inform the design of the squeezing injection path in terms of path stability and optical isolation.