Elimination of clock jitter noise in space born laser interferometers

Dec, 2000
20 pages
Published in:
  • Phys.Rev.D 64 (2001) 022002
e-Print:

Citations per year

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Abstract: (arXiv)
Space gravitational wave detectors employing laser interferometry between free-flying spacecraft differ in many ways from their laboratory counterparts. Among these differences is the fact that, in space, the end-masses will be moving relative to each other. This creates a problem by inducing a Doppler shift between the incoming and outgoing frequencies. The resulting beat frequency is so high that its phase cannot be read to sufficient accuracy when referenced to state-of-the-art space-qualified clocks. This is the problem that is addressed in this paper. We introduce a set of time-domain algorithms in which the effects of clock jitter are exactly canceled. The method employs the two-color laser approach that has been previously proposed, but avoids the singularities that arise in the previous frequency-domain algorithms. In addition, several practical aspects of the laser and clock noise cancellation schemes are addressed.
  • gravitational radiation: counters and detectors
  • counters and detectors: satellite
  • optics: laser
  • optics: interference
  • control system: time
  • time resolution
  • background