No Arabic abstract
Although experimental efforts have been active for about 30 years now, a direct laboratory observation of vacuum magnetic birefringence, an effect due to vacuum fluctuations, still needs confirmation. Indeed, the predicted birefringence of vacuum is $Delta n = 4.0times 10^{-24}$ @ 1~T. One of the key ingredients when designing a polarimeter capable of detecting such a small birefringence is a long optical path length within the magnetic field and a time dependent effect. To lengthen the optical path within the magnetic field a Fabry-Perot optical cavity is generally used with a finesse ranging from ${cal F} approx 10^4$ to ${cal F} approx7times 10^5$. Interestingly, there is a difficulty in reaching the predicted shot noise limit of such polarimeters. We have measured the ellipticity and rotation noises along with a Cotton-Mouton and a Faraday effect as a function of the finesse of the cavity of the PVLAS polarimeter. The observations are consistent with the idea that the cavity mirrors generate a birefringence-dominated noise whose ellipticity is amplified by the cavity itself. The optical path difference sensitivity at $10;$Hz is $S_{Delta{cal D}}=6times 10^{-19};$m$/sqrt{rm Hz}$, a value which we believe is consistent with an intrinsic thermal noise in the mirror coatings.
We present the current status and outlook of the optical characterization of the polarimeter at the Bir{e}fringence Magnetique du Vide (BMV) experiment. BMV is a polarimetric search for the QED predicted anisotropy of vacuum in the presence of external electromagnetic fields. The main challenge faced in this fundamental test is the measurement of polarization ellipticity on the order of ${10^{-15}}$ induced in linearly polarized laser field per pass through a magnetic field having an amplitude and length ${B^{2}L=100,mathrm{T}^{2}mathrm{m}}$. This challenge is addressed by understanding the noise sources in precision cavity-enhanced polarimetry. In this paper we discuss the first investigation of dynamical birefringence in the signal-enhancing cavity as a result of cavity mirror motion.
In this work we present data characterizing the sensitivity of the Bir{e}fringence Magnetique du Vide (BMV) instrument. BMV is an experiment attempting to measure vacuum magnetic birefringence (VMB) via the measurement of an ellipticity induced in a linearly polarized laser field propagating through a birefringent region of vacuum in the presence of an external magnetic field. Correlated measurements of laser noise alongside the measurement in the main detection channel allow us to separate measured sensing noise from the inherent birefringence noise of the apparatus. To this end we model different sources of sensing noise for cavity-enhanced polarimetry experiments, such as BMV. Our goal is to determine the main sources of noise, clarifying the limiting factors of such an apparatus. We find our noise models are compatible with the measured sensitivity of BMV. In this context we compare the phase sensitivity of separate-arm interferometers to that of a polarimetry apparatus for the discussion of current and future VMB measurements.
A Fabry-Perot cavity polarimeter, installed in 2003 at HERA for the second phase of its operation, is described. The cavity polarimeter was designed to measure the longitudinal polarisation of the HERA electron beam with high precision for each electron bunch spaced with a time interval of 96ns. Within the cavity the laser intensity was routinely enhanced up to a few kW from its original value of 0.7W in a stable and controllable way. By interacting such a high intensity laser beam with the HERA electron beam it is possible to measure its polarisation with a relative statistical precision of 2% per bunch per minute. Detailed systematic studies have also been performed resulting in a systematic uncertainty of 1%.
A new experiment to measure vacuum magnetic birefringence (VMB), the OVAL experiment, is reported. We developed an original pulsed magnet that has a high repetition rate and applies the strongest magnetic field among VMB experiments. The vibration isolation design and feedback system enable the direct combination of the magnet with a Fabry-Perot cavity. To ensure the searching potential, a calibration measurement with dilute nitrogen gas and a prototype search for vacuum magnetic birefringence are performed. Based on the results, a strategy to observe vacuum magnetic birefringence is reported.
A precise and fast Fabry-Perot cavity polarimeter, installed in the HERA tunnel in the summer of 2003, was used to measure the longitudinal polarisation of the lepton beam. A complete theoretical model has been developed in order to control at the per mill level the degree of circular polarisation of the laser beam. The transport of this quantity within the whole optical setup has also been performed and controlled at the same level of precision. This is the first time that such a precision is achieved in the difficult, hostile and noisy environment of a particle collider.