Characterization of photoreceivers for LISA

TL;DR

This paper presents the development and characterization of photoreceivers for LISA, identifying noise sources and achieving high sensitivity and bandwidth suitable for precise measurements in space-based gravitational wave detection.

Contribution

The study introduces a laboratory testbed for photoreceiver characterization and reports a photoreceiver with improved noise performance and bandwidth for LISA applications.

Findings

Identified key noise sources affecting photoreceiver performance.

Achieved input current noise below 1.8 pA/√Hz below 20 MHz.

Built a photoreceiver with 34 MHz bandwidth.

Abstract

LISA will use quadrant photoreceivers as front-end devices for the phasemeter measuring the motion of drag-free test masses in both angular orientation and separation. We have set up a laboratory testbed for the characterization of photoreceivers. Some of the limiting noise sources have been identified and their contribution has been either measured or derived from the measured data. We have built a photoreceiver with a 0.5 mm diameter quadrant photodiode with an equivalent input current noise of better than 1.8 pA/sqrt[Hz] below 20 MHz and a 3dB bandwidth of 34 MHz.