Lin Xuechun

The next detectors for gravitational wave astronomy

This paper focuses on the next detectors for gravitational wave astronomy which will be required after the current ground based detectors have completed their initial observations, and probably achieved the first direct detection of gravitational waves. The next detectors will need to have greater sensitivity, while also enabling the world array of detectors to have improved angular resolution to allow localisation of signal sources. Sect. 1 of this paper begins by reviewing proposals for the next ground based detectors, and presents an analysis of the sensitivity of an 8 km armlength detector, which is proposed as a safe and cost-effective means to attain a 4-fold improvement in sensitivity. The scientific benefits of creating a pair of such detectors in China and Australia is emphasised. Sect. 2 of this paper discusses the high performance suspension systems for test masses that will be an essential component for future detectors, while sect. 3 discusses solutions to the problem of Newtonian noise which arise from fluctuations in gravity gradient forces acting on test masses. Such gravitational perturbations cannot be shielded, and set limits to low frequency sensitivity unless measured and suppressed. Sects. 4 and 5 address critical operational technologies that will be ongoing issues in future detectors. Sect. 4 addresses the design of thermal compensation systems needed in all high optical power interferometers operating at room temperature. Parametric instability control is addressed in sect. 5. Only recently proven to occur in Advanced LIGO, parametric instability phenomenon brings both risks and opportunities for future detectors. The path to future enhancements of detectors will come from quantum measurement technologies. Sect. 6 focuses on the use of optomechanical devices for obtaining enhanced sensitivity, while sect. 7 reviews a range of quantum measurement options.

Reducing Thermal Effect in End-Diode-Pumped Laser Crystal by Using a Novel Resonator

We report a new way, i.e. double-end-pumping, to extend the stability range of a laser resonator, in advantage of making the thermal loading be effectively divided between the ends of the laser crystal to reduce the thermal effect, thus to extend the stability range. Using this new way, we experimentally obtained a 2.7-W cw laser source at 671 nm by intracavity frequency doubling of 1342 nm of a Nd:YVO4 laser based on the nonlinear crystal LiB3O5. The maximum pump power is 28 W, which is higher than 13 W of the single-end-pumping.

High-power blue light generation by external frequency doubling of an optical parametric oscillator

We report on an all-solid-state high-power quasi-continuous blue light source by the frequency doubling of a signal wave from an optical parametric oscillator (OPO). A 50-mm-long LiB3O5 (LBO) crystal is used for the OPO, which is pumped by a diode-pumped Nd:YAG green laser (10 kHz, 50 ns). Tunable blue emission in a new nonlinear crystal BiB3O6 (BiBO) is obtained with a wavelength range from 450 to 495 nm. The average power of the signal output is as high as 9.3 W from 924 to 970 nm. The maximum output of the blue laser with the second harmonic walk-off compensation is 1.3 W average power at 470 nm for 6.2 W of OPO signal light at 940 nm.

Mid-infrared generation based on a periodically poled LiNbO3 optical parametric oscillator

We report a nanosecond Nd:YVO4-pumped optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on periodically poled LiNbO3 (PPLN). Tuning is achieved in this experiment by varying the temperature and period of the PPLN. The design of double-pass singly resonant oscillator (DSRO) and confocal cavity enables the OPO threshold to be lowered considerably, resulting in a simple, compact, all-solid-state configuration with the mid-infrared idler powers of up to 466mW at 3.41μm.

Optimization of Pulse Temporal Contrast in Optical Parametric Chirped Pulse Amplification

In optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA), the degradation of temporal contrast of the compressed signal pulse mainly results from spectral clipping in the grating stretcher with finite size of the optics, parametric fluorescence (PF) and the spectral variations transferred from temporal fluctuation of the pump pulse. The temporal contrast of the recompressed amplified pulse in the OPCPA system is studied numerically and a number of solutions are considered and optimized to achieve the highest temporal contrast.

Low-threshold mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator using periodically poled LiNbO3

We report the generation of tunable mid-infrared optical pulses using all-solid-state pumped optical parametric oscillator in a periodically poled lithium niobate. Several ways were used to lower the threshold, resulting in a mean threshold as low as 6.5 mW and an achievement of wavelength conversion in the 2.77-4.04 mum spectral range. Continuous tuning range from 2.97 to 3.25 mum was achieved. The maximum idler output power of 466 mW at the wavelength of 3.41 mum was obtained, which represents an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 19% from incident pump power to the idler output.

Efficient Dual-LBO Second-Harmonic Generation by Using a Polarization Modulation Configuration

We analyse the relationship of conversion efficiency with the inter-crystal phase shift by the heuristic theory and propose a novel configuration of two cascaded nonlinear crystals for the second-harmonic generation with the polarization modulation. With this configuration, 70% external doubling efficiency is obtained, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest conversion efficiency with LBO crystal external frequency doubling. This configuration provides a simple and effective method to improve the second harmonic conversion efficiency.

LD Side-Pumped Passive Mode-Locked TEM00 Nd:YAG Laser Based on SESAM

We report an LD side-pumped continuous-wave passive mode-locked Nd:YAG laser with a Z-type folded cavity based on a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). The average output power 2.95 W of mode-locked laser with electro-optical conversion efficiency of 1.3% and high beam quality (M-x(2) = 1.25 and M-y(2) = 1.22) is achieved. The repetition rate of mode-locked pulse of 88 MHz with pulse energy of 34 nJ is obtained.

Period Continuous Tuning of an Efficient Mid-Infrared Optical Parametric Oscillator Based on a Fan-out Periodically Poled MgO-Doped Lithium Niobate

We report a period continuously tunable, efficient, mid-infrared optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on a fan-out periodically poled MgO-doped congruent lithium niobate (PPMgLN). The OPO is pumped by a Nd:YAG laser and a maximum idler output average power of 1.65 W at 3.93 mu m is obtained with a pump average power of 10.5 W, corresponding to the conversion efficiency of about 16% from the pump to the idler. The output spectral properties of the OPO with the fan-out crystal are analyzed. The OPO is continuously tuned over 3.78-4.58 mu m (idler) when fan-out periods are changed from 27.0 to 29.4 mu m. Compared with temperature tuning, fan-out period continuous tuning has faster tuning rate and wider tuning range.

Period and temperature tuning of cascaded optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled LiNbO3

We report the broadly tunable source by a cascaded optical parametric oscillator in the periodically poled LiNbO3 (PPLN) with domain grating period and temperature tuning. The optical parametric oscillator was pumped by a passive Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser. Multi-wavelength outputs from visible to infrared were obtained. The temperature of the PPLN crystal changed within the range of 70-150°C with different periods of PPLN. The tunable range covered from 433 to 1657nm.