Lasers and squeezed light

Lasers and squeezed light

The AEI has a long history in the design, fabrication and installation of lasers and squeezed light sources in ground based gravitational-wave interferometry.

Pre-stabilized high power lasers were developed for and installed at GEO600 and Advanced LIGO and squeezed-light sources developed and built at the AEI improve the sensitivity of GEO600 and Advanced Virgo. Currently the “Lasers and squeezed light” group at the AEI focuses its research and development on stabilized high power lasers and non-classical light sources for next generation gravitational-wave detectors, such as the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer.

Benno Willke and Henning Vahlbruch are co-chairs in the laser and squeezed-light work packages of the Einstein Telescope and contribute significantly to the design of the European third-generation detector.

We are looking for students for MSc theses

High power lasers for current and future gravitational-wave detectors

The interferometric measurement of the effects of gravitational waves requires custom-made high power laser sources with extremely low power and frequency noise. We have developed and built these laser sources for the current network of gravitational-wave detectors together with the Laser Zentrum Hannover.

Laser stabilization

The continuous improvement of ground-based gravitational-wave detectors (GWDs) and the preparations for next GWDs place high demands on their stabilized laser sources. The laser source for the interferometric measurement in the GWDs has to be single mode, lineary polarized, single frequency and with low laser noise. Its frequency noise and power noise have to be actively and passively stabilized to reach the required stability.

Lasers for ALPS

We are providing major parts of the experimental setup for ALPS II (Any Light Particle Search II) while conducting pathfinder laboratory experiments. ALPS II at DESY in Hamburg is looking for a new, light-weight, set of elementary particles.

Squeezed light

The use of squeezed vacuum states of light is a key component of current and future gravitational-wave detectors, which will be limited by quantum mechanical noise over a large part of their frequency band.

Members of the research group

Name
Phone
Fax
Room
Dr. Nina Bode
Junior Scientist/Postdoc
  • +49 511 762-17076
L112
Dr. Kanioar Karan
Junior Scientist/Postdoc
  • +49 511 762-17053
L104
Riteshbhai Khadela
Student Assistant
L104
Nicole Knust
PhD Student
  • +49 511 762-17131
L108
Alan Lebkuecher
Master Student
Robert Fabian Maciy
Master Student
Dr. Fabian Meylahn
Junior Scientist/Postdoc
  • +49 511 762-19476
L114
Graziano Pascale
PhD Student
  • +49 511 762-17048
L112
Michaela Pickenpack
Research Engineer
  • +49 511 762-2502
020
Qazal Rokn
Master Student
  • +49 511 762-17131
L108
Dr. Marina Trad Nery
Junior Scientist/Postdoc
  • +49 511 762-2799
L104
Dr. Henning Vahlbruch
Senior Scientist
  • +49 511 762-17092
L103
Jasper Venneberg
PhD Student
  • +49 511 762-17144
L105
Benjamin von Behren
Student Assistant
  • +49 511 762-17131
L108
Dr. Felix Wellmann
Adjunct Researcher
  • +49 511 2788-275
LHZ
Apl. Prof. Dr. Benno Willke
Research Group Leader
  • +49 511 762-2360
L107
Benno Willke's Publications
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