Wang, Haoyu, Michimura, Yuta, Kokeyama, Keiko  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2896-1992, Brown, Daniel, Aso, Yoichi, Eisenmann, Marc, Leonardi, Matteo, Enomoto, Yutaro, Ushiba, Takafumi, Yamamoto, Hiroaki, Ando, Masaki and Somiya, Kentaro
2026.
Polarization-decomposed method for simulating inhomogeneous birefringence in laser-interferometric gravitational-wave detectors.
Physical Review D (particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology)
114
, 062009.
10.1103/ZZKN-W86H
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Abstract
Birefringence in test mass substrates is an emerging limitation for current and future laser-interferometric gravitational-wave detectors, particularly as detectors move toward higher circulating power, cryogenic operation, and crystalline optical materials. Spatially varying birefringence alters both the polarization state and spatial mode content of the intracavity field, reducing interference contrast and introducing unwanted couplings into length and alignment control signals. Accurate modeling of these effects is complicated by the fact that most frequency-domain simulation tools employ scalar modal propagation and lack native support for polarization and two-dimensional substrate maps. In this work, we present a practical and general method for simulating inhomogeneous birefringence without modifying existing simulation frameworks. The approach represents the two polarization components as independent scalar fields and introduces their coupling through an equivalent triple-Mach-Zehnder construction that reproduces the Jones matrix of a birefringent medium. We demonstrate the method using realistic birefringence maps of the KAGRA sapphire input test masses. The technique is compatible with frequency-domain interferometer models that support scalar field propagation and spatial phase maps and enables efficient birefringence studies for next-generation gravitational-wave detectors.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Physics and Astronomy Schools > Physical, Chemical & Environmental Sciences |
| Additional Information: | RRS policy applied |
| Publisher: | American Physical Society |
| ISSN: | 2470-0010 |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 5 November 2026 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 8 September 2026 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Nov 2026 10:00 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/190626 |
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