No Arabic abstract
We describe the angular sensing and control of the 4 km detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). The culmination of first generation LIGO detectors, Enhanced LIGO operated between 2009 and 2010 with about 40 kW of laser power in the arm cavities. In this regime, radiation pressure effects are significant and induce instabilities in the angular opto-mechanical transfer functions. Here we present and motivate the angular sensing and control (ASC) design in this extreme case and present the results of its implementation in Enhanced LIGO. Highlights of the ASC performance are: successful control of opto-mechanical torsional modes, relative mirror motions of 1x10^{-7} rad rms, and limited impact on in-band strain sensitivity.
Dynamics of an electron beam head-on colliding with an ultraintense focused ultrashort circularly-polarized laser pulse are investigated in the quantum radiation-dominated regime. Generally, the ponderomotive force of the laser fields may deflect the electrons transversely, to form a ring structure on the cross-section of the electron beam. However, we find that when the Lorentz factor of the electron $gamma$ is approximately one order of magnitude larger than the invariant laser field parameter $xi$, the stochastic nature of the photon emission leads to electron aggregation abnormally inwards to the propagation axis of the laser pulse. Consequently, the electron angular distribution after the interaction exhibits a peak structure in the beam propagation direction, which is apparently distinguished from the ring-structure of the distribution in the classical regime, and therefore, can be recognized as a proof of the fundamental quantum stochastic nature of radiation. The stochasticity signature is robust with respect to the laser and electron parameters and observable with current experimental techniques.
Polarisation analysis of synchrotron THz radiation was carried out with a standard stretched polyethylene polariser and revealed that the linearly polarised (horizontal) component contributes up to 22 +/- 5% to the circular polarised synchrotron emission extracted by a gold-coated mirror with a horizontal slit inserted near a bending magnet edge. Comparison with theoretical predictions shows a qualitative match with dominance of the edge radiation. Grid polarisers 3D-printed out of commercial acrilic resin were tested for the polariser function and showed spectral regions where the dichroic ratio DR > 1 and < 1 implying importance of molecular and/or stress induced anisotropy. Metal-coated 3D-printed THz optical elements can find a range of applications in intensity and polarisation control of THz beams.
We present the design and performance of the LIGO Input Optics subsystem as implemented for the sixth science run of the LIGO interferometers. The Initial LIGO Input Optics experienced thermal side effects when operating with 7 W input power. We designed, built, and implemented improv
Since its invention in 1999, optical centrifuge has become a powerful tool for controlling molecular rotation and studying molecular dynamics and molecular properties at extreme levels of rotational excitation. The technique has been applied to a variety of molecular species, from simple linear molecules to symmetric and asymmetric tops, to molecular ions and chiral enantiomers. Properties of isolated ultrafast rotating molecules, so-called molecular superrotors, have been investigated, as well as their collisions with one another and interaction with external fields. The ability of an optical centrifuge to spin a particular molecule of interest depends on both the molecular structure and the parameters of the centrifuge laser pulse. An interplay between these two factors dictates the utility of an optical centrifuge in any specific application. Here, we discuss the strategy of assessing and adjusting the properties of the centrifuge to those of the molecular rotors, and describe two practical examples of optical centrifuges with very different characteristics, implemented experimentally in our laboratory.
We introduce a micromachined force scale for laser power measurement by means of radiation pressure sensing. With this technique, the measured laser light is not absorbed and can be utilized while being measured. We employ silicon micromachining technology to construct a miniature force scale, opening the potential to its use for fast in-line laser process monitoring. Here we describe the mechanical sensing principle and conversion to an electrical signal. We further outline an electrostatic force substitution process for nulling of the radiation pressure force on the sensor mirror. Finally, we look at the performance of a proof-of-concept device in open-loop operation (without the nulling electrostatic force) subjected to a modulated laser at 250 W and find its response time is less than 20 ms with noise floor dominated by electronics at 2.5 W/root(Hz).