The 10m AEI prototype facility A brief overview

TL;DR

The AEI 10m prototype interferometer is a sophisticated experimental setup designed to explore quantum measurement limits and macroscopic quantum mechanics using advanced laser and isolation techniques.

Contribution

This paper introduces the design and construction overview of the AEI 10m prototype interferometer facility, focusing on its potential for quantum measurement experiments.

Findings

Facility under construction with planned low-noise environment

High power laser and suspended test masses for quantum noise experiments

Future detailed subsystem technical reports planned

Abstract

The AEI 10 m prototype interferometer facility is currently being constructed at the Albert Einstein Institute in Hannover, Germany. It aims to perform experiments for future gravitational wave detectors using advanced techniques. Seismically isolated benches are planned to be interferometrically interconnected and stabilized, forming a low-noise testbed inside a 100 m^3 ultra-high vacuum system. A well-stabilized high power laser will perform differential position readout of 100 g test masses in a 10 m suspended arm-cavity enhanced Michelson interferometer at the crossover of measurement (shot) noise and backaction (quantum radiation pressure) noise, the so-called Standard Quantum Limit (SQL). Such a sensitivity enables experiments in the highly topical field of macroscopic quantum mechanics. In this article we introduce the experimental facility and describe the methods employed, technical details of subsystems will be covered in future papers.