Utilizing multi-point temperature sensing to evaluate the low frequency noise of phasemeter for intersatellite laser interferometer

High-precision phasemeters are a key technology in intersatellite laser interferometers used for detecting gravitational waves (GWs) in space. As the core of the readout system, the phasemeter must operate in the bandwidth of 5–25 MHz, and its resolution needs to reach the order of μrad/Hz at mHz. It presents significant challenges to electronic signal processing technology. To investigate the primary noise source in the low-frequency band, a mathematical model of thermal drift to phase noise was established, and a multi-point temperature sensing scheme for critical electronic components was proposed. In particular, we evaluated a phasemeter based on a commercial platform and assessed the thermal drift noise according to the proposed model. This study identifies and explains the effects of temperature linear drift and overcorrection in components, demonstrating that thermal drift noise is the main noise source for the phasemeter at frequencies from 0.1 to 1 mHz. In addition, the proposed scheme is universal in its applicability and may be implemented in any circuit for the evaluation of temperature effects on the components of interest.