title: Stabilized high-power laser system for the gravitational wave detector advanced LIGO.
abstract: An ultra-stable, high-power cw Nd:YAG laser system, developed for the ground-based gravitational wave detector Advanced LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory), was comprehensively characterized. Laser power, frequency, beam pointing and beam quality were simultaneously stabilized using different active and passive schemes. The output beam, the performance of the stabilization, and the cross-coupling between different stabilization feedback control loops were characterized and found to fulfill most design requirements. The employed stabilization schemes and the achieved performance are of relevance to many high-precision optical experiments.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut), Hannover, Germany. patrick.kwee@aei.mpg.de
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kwee
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bogan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Danzmann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frede
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pöld
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Puncken
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Savage
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Seifert
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wessels
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Winkelmann
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Willke
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D006112:Gravitation; D007368:Interferometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D007834:Lasers; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors