A team of researchers has developed a new system called FROSTI to fix this problem, enabling LIGO and future observatories to explore the cosmos more deeply than ever before.

“The problem is, increasing laser power tends to destroy the delicate quantum states we rely on to improve signal clarity. Our new technology solves this tension by making sure the optics remain undistorted, even at megawatt power levels,” Jonathan Richardson, one of the researchers and a physicist at the University of California, Riverside, said.

How does FROSTI work?

LIGO’s mirrors are 34 cm wide, 20 cm thick, and weigh 40 kg. When megawatt-level laser beams pass through them, about five times the current power used at LIGO—the mirrors heat unevenly, creating tiny bumps and dips that reduce sensitivity.

FROSTI (FROnt Surface Type Irradiator) corrects these distortions by projecting controlled heat patterns onto the mirror surface using a ring of heater elements. This carefully reshapes the mirror, smoothing out warps while keeping the added noise extremely low.