Parametric signal amplification to create a stiff optical bar

An optical cavity consisting of optically trapped mirrors makes a resonant bar that can be stiffer than diamond. A limitation of the stiffness arises in the length of the optical bar as a consequence of the finite light speed. High laser power and light mass mirrors are essential for realization of a long and stiff optical bar that can be useful for example in the gravitational-wave detector aiming at the observation of a signal from neutron-star collisions, supernovae, etc. In this letter, we introduce a parametric signal amplification scheme that realizes the long and stiff optical bar without the need to increase the laser power.

K. Somiya, J. Kato, K. Yano, N. Saito · 2014