Verification of Laser Heterodyne Interferometric Bench for Chinese Spaceborne Gravitational Wave Detection Missions

Abstract

Construction of laser heterodyne interferometric bench to measure tiny translation and tilt with picometer- and nanoradian-level sensitivity in the millihertz band is critical for the success of spaceborne gravitational wave detection, including the LISA, Taiji, and Tianqin missions. In this paper, we report on the construction and testing of a laser heterodyne interferometric bench that contains two optical path designs, the dual-beam heterodyne interferometry and the polarization-multiplexing heterodyne interferometry. The measurement sensitivity of translation and tilt reaches below 3 pm/Hz1/2 and 12 nrad/Hz1/2 for frequencies above 10 mHz, respectively. As a technical verification platform, stabilization loops of amplitude and phase and coherence analysis are also conducted through the bench. Furthermore, we demonstrate initial implements of phase-locking technology and multiple degree of freedom measurements as the extended applications of the constructed bench. The achieved results show that the laser interferometric bench would serve as an excellent experimental platform for the technology demonstration and verification of future Chinese spaceborne gravitational wave detection.