Proof-of-principle demonstration of a Polarization-Circulation Speed Meter

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the first experimental implementation of a polarization-circulation speed meter, confirming its ability to measure mirror speed and supporting its potential for more complex interferometric systems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel polarization-circulation speed meter setup and validates its operation through experimental transfer function measurements.

Findings

Successfully measured the transfer function confirming speed measurement capability.

Implemented a green-locking scheme for cavity stabilization.

Demonstrated lock-acquisition for speed-meter operation.

Abstract

We present the first experimental implementation of a polarization-circulation speed meter. In our experiment, the interferometer was reduced to a single-cavity configuration with all mirrors fixed. A green-locking scheme was employed to stabilize the polarization circulation cavity, and a lock-acquisition procedure was demonstrated to realize speed-meter operation. The system was characterized by measuring the transfer function from a pseudo-displacement signal to the photodetector output, confirming that the device measures the speed of mirror motion. These results support the feasibility of polarization-circulation speed meters and suggest that the control scheme could be extended to more complex configurations, such as Michelson interferometers and suspended-mirror systems.