As a follow-up to Hartmut's question about the DARM rms, here are spectra of the in- and out-of-loop DARM sensors before and after transitioning to DC readout (at 2 W input power). The spectra are calibrated into RIN.
The left-hand plots show the sensors when DARM is controlled via AS45Q. Above 10 Hz or so, we see the sensing noise of AS45Q impressed onto the DARM loop. From 2 Hz to 8 Hz or so, and below 0.5 Hz, both sensors appear to see some DARM displacement noise. Between 0.5 Hz and 2 Hz, the sensors are not seeing the same signal. If the AS45Q signal in this region is indeed DARM displacement noise (rather than some kind of loop-suppressed sensing noise), this would seem to indicate that the sensing noise of the DC readout chain is higher than the intrinsic DARM displacement noise by a factor of a few in this region.
The right-hand plots show the sensors when DARM is controlled via DCPD sum. During the transition, an additional boost is engaged (two complex poles at 2 Hz, two complex zeros at 8 Hz), so this makes it tricky to directly compare these plots with the left-hand plots. Probably it is best to try to get an equivalent set of plots for the intermediate case (DARM controlled by AS45Q, boost engaged).
Attached is the same plot as before, but this time both configurations have the same OLTF (boost on).
Times: