Since Einstein’s prediction regarding the existence of gravitational waves was directly verified by the ground-based detector Advanced LIGO, research on gravitational wave detection has garnered increasing attention. To overcome limitations imposed by ground vibrations and interference at arm’s length, a space-based gravitational wave detection initiative was proposed, which focuses on analyzing a large number of waves within the frequency range below 1 Hz. Due to the weak signal intensity, the TMs must move along their geodesic orbit with a residual acceleration less than 10⁻¹⁵ m/s²/Hz^1/2. Consequently, the core payload-inertial sensor was designed to shield against stray force noise while maintaining the high-precision motion of the test mass through a drag-free control system, providing an ultra-stable inertial reference for laser interferometry. To meet these requirements, the inertial sensor integrates a series of unit settings and innovative designs, involving numerous subsystems and technologies. This article provides a comprehensive overview of these critical technologies used in the development of inertial sensors for space gravitational wave detection and discusses future trends and potential applications for these sensors.

To increase the interferometric measurement resolution in the Taiji program, we present a noise suppression method in this paper. Taking the specific micro-force perturbation and temperature fluctuation in the Taiji-1 interferometer as an example, we set up and experimentally verified the corresponding transfer function to quantify the effect of both noise sources on the interferometric results. Consistent results were obtained between the numerical and experimental results for the transfer function. It is instructive to eliminate the micro-force perturbations and temperature fluctuations during on-orbit interferometric measurement for as long as the acquisition of the force or temperature distribution of related surfaces and the corresponding transfer functions. This indicates that the method can be used for noise sensing and more in the field of noise elimination and measurement resolution improvement for future Taiji program interferometers.

For the Taiji program or other LISA-like space-based gravitational wave (GW) detection missions, establishing laser links is a prerequisite for entering the normal science mode. There has been a lack of in-depth research on inter-satellite link acquisition under weak light and low-speed conditions. In this paper, we comprehensively analyze the impact of key parameters, including scan speed, track width, acquisition camera integration time, and jitter, on the acquisition process. By introducing laser spot location error under weak light conditions, we derive an analytical expression for the acquisition failure probability. Focusing on variations in scan speed and track width and carefully selecting the appropriate acquisition camera integration time, we then simulate the actual acquisition process to closely replicate real conditions. Analytical results of the acquisition failure probability align closely with the simulation results. Under the Taiji program’s parameter settings, the scan speed is set to 3.31 $\mathsf{\mu }$$\mathrm{rad}/\mathrm{s}$, the track width to $0.87$ $\mathsf{\mu }$$\mathrm{rad}$, and the integration time to $800\mathrm{ms}$. These parameters are optimized to minimize the mean acquisition time over multiple scans, resulting in a single link acquisition time of $223.77\mathrm{s}$. The analytical model can be used for the parameter design of inter-satellite laser link acquisition under weak light conditions.

The predecessor of China Optics was China Optics and Applied Optics Digest, which was founded in 1985. At that time, it was the only retrieval journal in the field of optics in China. At the end of 2008, China Optics and Applied Optics Digest was renamed 《中国光学》的前身是1985年创办的《中国光学与应用光学文摘》，当时是国内光学领域唯一的检索刊物。2008年底《中国光学与应用光学文摘》转型更名为《中国光学与应用光学》期刊，刊载内容突破了文摘的限制，正式成为学术刊物。