Improving the sensitivity to gravitational-wave sources by modifying the input-output optics of advanced interferometers

TL;DR

This paper investigates frequency-dependent input-output schemes for advanced gravitational-wave interferometers, demonstrating potential sensitivity improvements for neutron star inspirals and narrowband sources, while addressing practical implementation challenges.

Contribution

It introduces a nearly optimal FD readout scheme using ordinary squeezed vacuum and detuned cavities, improving low-frequency performance over previous proposals.

Findings

At high frequencies, the schemes are equivalent.

The proposed scheme outperforms previous methods at low frequencies.

Optical losses significantly hinder practical implementation.

Abstract

We study frequency dependent (FD) input-output schemes for signal-recycling interferometers, the baseline design of Advanced LIGO and the current configuration of GEO 600. Complementary to a recent proposal by Harms et al. to use FD input squeezing and ordinary homodyne detection, we explore a scheme which uses ordinary squeezed vacuum, but FD readout. Both schemes, which are sub-optimal among all possible input-output schemes, provide a global noise suppression by the power squeeze factor, while being realizable by using detuned Fabry-Perot cavities as input/output filters. At high frequencies, the two schemes are shown to be equivalent, while at low frequencies our scheme gives better performance than that of Harms et al., and is nearly fully optimal. We then study the sensitivity improvement achievable by these schemes in Advanced LIGO era (with 30-m filter cavities and current estimates of filter-mirror losses and thermal noise), for neutron star binary inspirals, and for narrowband GW sources such as low-mass X-ray binaries and known radio pulsars. Optical losses are shown to be a major obstacle for the actual implementation of these techniques in Advanced LIGO. On time scales of third-generation interferometers, like EURO/LIGO-III (~2012), with kilometer-scale filter cavities, a signal-recycling interferometer with the FD readout scheme explored in this paper can have performances comparable to existing proposals. [abridged]