Tabletop experimental demonstration of a heterodyne polarimetry method for in situ substrate birefringence characterization in gravitational wave detectors

Tanioka, Satoshi, Pearce, Terri, Michimura, Yuta, Agatsuma, Kazuhiro, van Beuzekom, Martin, Vecchio, Alberto, Webster, Stephen, Leonardi, Matteo and Kokeyama, Keiko ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2896-1992 2026. Tabletop experimental demonstration of a heterodyne polarimetry method for in situ substrate birefringence characterization in gravitational wave detectors. Applied Optics 65 (14) , pp. 4762-4770. 10.1364/AO.588208

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Abstract

High-quality test mass substrates play essential roles in laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Inhomogeneous birefringence distribution in test mass substrates, however, can degrade the sensitivity of the detector by introducing optical loss and disturbing the interferometer controls. In this paper, we present a heterodyne polarimetry method that has the potential for in situ birefringence characterizations, hence diagnosing the gravitational wave interferometer. We experimentally demonstrate the proposed method with a tabletop setup. We also discuss its applicability to current and future gravitational wave detectors and the detectable limit.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Physics and Astronomy
Additional Information:	RRS policy applied
Publisher:	Optica Publishing Group
ISSN:	1559-128X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	2 June 2026
Date of Acceptance:	19 April 2026
Last Modified:	02 Aug 2026 07:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/187316

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