Calibration of the Glasgow 10 m prototype laser interferometric gravitational wave detector using photon pressure

We show that the radiation pressure from an amplitude modulated, low power, Nd:YAG laser can be used to calibrate the displacement sensitivity of the Glasgow 10 m prototype gravitational wave detector. This demonstrates the p ossibility of radiation pressure being used as a standard method of calibra ting long base Line gravitational wave detectors. Further, this technique h as the very important additional advantage that the test mass acted upon by the radiation pressure is not altered in any way, by, for example, the att achment of magnets, etc. The high e-factor of the internal modes, required for good detector sensitivity, is therefore preserved. (C) 2001 Elsevier Sc ience B.V. All rights reserved.