Audio-frequency interferometry at the shot noise limit using an EOIM-based frequency-synthesized light

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Optical Engineering
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Achieving shot-noise-limited sensitivity is crucial for detecting subtle audio-frequency phase signals.
• Existing methods often face limitations in precision and applicability across diverse scientific fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel experimental setup for highly sensitive audio-frequency phase signal detection.
• To integrate advanced optical modulation and interferometry techniques for enhanced measurement precision.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an electro-optic intensity modulator (EOIM) to generate frequency-synthesized light with suppressed carrier and enhanced sidebands.
• Employed a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) for phase-sensitive heterodyne locking and balanced heterodyne detection.
• Integrated EOIM light generation, MZI phase stabilization, and balanced heterodyne detection for audio-frequency phase measurements.

Main Results:

• The integrated setup achieved phase detection sensitivity at the shot-noise limit across the audio-frequency band.
• Demonstrated a novel method for generating specialized light for interferometric measurements.
• Successfully stabilized the MZI's relative phase and performed precise phase measurements.

Conclusions:

• The novel experimental setup enables unprecedented sensitivity in audio-frequency phase detection.
• This advancement has broad implications for fields such as gravitational wave detection and atomic magnetometry.
• The integrated approach offers a robust platform for future high-precision optical measurements.