Test of an 18-m-long suspended modecleaner cavity

Fluctuations in laser beam geometry such as lateral beam movement and beam width variation can produce perturbations in the output signal of a laser interferometer through various coupling mechanisms. In order to avoid this type of laser noise from degrading the sensitivity of interferometers designed to detect gravitational radiation, currently planned long-base-line detectors will employ resonant optical filters called modecleaners to suppress beam geometry noise. Here we describe a prototype modecleaner cavity constructed at Glasgow having an optical path length of 18 m and containing four suspended mirrors. We present results detailing various aspects of its performance. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.