Minimalistic Laser Interferometry DemonstrationNew publication highlights optical minimalism

13. September 2019

Foto: PRApplied/APS

The quasi-monolithic interferometer designed around a single prism.

Using the technique of deep-frequency-modulation interferometry a team of scientist has demonstrated an ultra-compact optical set-up that can be used for future gravity sensing experiments with picometer precision.

This research, led by Prof. Oliver Gerberding during his time as a research associate at the Max-Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Hannover, Germany, is a major milestone that will enable the scientific community to make use of this type of displacement and tilt measurement precision more often and more easily in future experiments.

The newly established research group for gravitational wave detection at the University of Hamburg will continue to study such techniques and focus on their application in future ground- and space-based detectors.

The publication titled Compact Multifringe Interferometry with Subpicometer Precision has been authored by Katharina-Sophie Isleif, Gerhard Heinzel, Moritz Mehmet, and Oliver Gerberding and has just been published as a highlight article in Physical Review Applied:
Phys. Rev. Applied 12, 034025