Laser development and laser stabilization for the space-borne gravitational wave detector LISA

For the interferometric readout of the 107 km optical path length, the LISA mission will rely on a compact, reliable and highly efficient source of stable radiation. The strain sensitivity of the instrument will be limited by photon shot noise in the mHz frequency regime and therefore an output power of at least 1 W is required. The noise added by power and frequency fluctuations of the laser is negligible only for a relative power stability of δP̃/P<2×10−4/Hz and for a frequency noise spectral density of <30 Hz/Hz within the LISA detection band. The only light source approaching the performance demanded for LISA is a stabilized monolithic diode pumped Nd:YAG ring laser. We report on recent progress in designing and stabilizing this laser type for the LISA mission.