DEMONSTRATION OF A RECOMBINED FABRY-PEROT-MICHELSON INTERFEROMETER WITH SUSPENDED MIRRORS

We describe preliminary experimental results concerning the operation of a 3 m arm-length Michelson interferometer with two Fabry-Perot cavi ties whose mirrors and beam splitter are suspended independently by wi res. The reflected light beams from the two Fabry-Perot cavities are r ecombined to obtain interference at a photo-detector; this scheme is n ecessary for future power-recycled laser interferometers used to detec t gravitational waves. The fundamental properties of the interferomete r are presented, including the power spectral density of the displacem ent noise.