Limits from different types of laser noise on dual balanced homodyne scattered‑light subtraction

Determine the limitations imposed by different types of laser noise on the dual balanced homodyne detection scheme that reads orthogonal quadratures at the symmetric and antisymmetric ports of a Michelson interferometer for scattered light noise mitigation.

Background

The proposed readout combines balanced homodyne signals from both interferometer ports to isolate individual arm contributions and subtract scattered light noise. While the experiment demonstrated 13.2 dB suppression, the abstract and discussion note that noise couplings, including laser noise, likely limit performance.

Understanding how various laser noise types (e.g., amplitude, phase, frequency noise coupling pathways) constrain achievable subtraction is crucial for scaling the technique to advanced interferometer topologies and for informing laser stabilization requirements.

References

Further effort should also be directed towards addressing open questions, such as the limitation of the scheme through different types of laser noise, as well as if the readout will also be able to subtract the effect of opto-mechanical coupling of scattered light noise.

— Dual balanced readout for scattered light noise mitigation in Michelson interferometers (2409.04266 - Lohde et al., 6 Sep 2024) in Section 5 (Conclusions)