Alternative approach to time-delay interferometry with optical frequency comb

TL;DR

This paper proposes an alternative OFC-based metrology approach for spaceborne gravitational wave observatories that simplifies existing TDI frameworks and effectively suppresses noise and clock errors.

Contribution

It introduces a method to use carrier-carrier heterodyne frequencies for monitoring light travel time and clock differences without altering the current TDI framework.

Findings

Achieved synchronization accuracy better than 0.47 ns.

Suppressed stochastic jitter to approximately 15 pm/√Hz.

Demonstrated feasibility with experimental setup modeling two spacecraft.

Abstract

Spaceborne gravitational wave observatories, exemplified by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, are designed to remove laser noise and clock noise from interferometric phase measurements in postprocessing. The planned observatories will utilize electro-optic modulators (EOMs) to encode the onboard clock timing onto the beam phase. Recent research has demonstrated the advantage of introducing an optical frequency comb (OFC) in the metrology system with the modified framework of time-delay interferometry (TDI): the removal of the EOM and the simultaneous suppression of the stochastic jitter of the laser and the clock in the observation band. In this paper, we explore an alternative approach with the OFC-based metrology system. We report that after proper treatment, it is possible to use the measured carrier-carrier heterodyne frequencies to monitor the time derivative of the pseudoranges, which represent the physical light travel time and the clock difference. This approach does not require changing the existing TDI framework, as previous OFC based efforts did. Furthermore, this approach naturally captures not only stochastic jitter but also clock offsets and slow drifts. We also present the experimental demonstration of our scheme using two separate systems to model two spacecraft. Using this novel approach, we synchronize the two independent phase measurement systems with an accuracy better than 0.47 ns, while the stochastic jitter in the observation band is suppressed down to the setup sensitivity around the LISA performance levels at 15 pm/sqrt(Hz).