Experimental realization of a 12,000-finesse laser cavity based on a low-noise microstructured mirror

authored by
Johannes Dickmann, Steffen Sauer, Jan Meyer, Mika Gaedtke, Thomas Siefke, Uwe Brückner, Jonathan Plentz, Stefanie Kroker
Abstract

The most precise measurement tools of humankind are equipped with ultra-stable lasers. State-of-the-art laser stabilization techniques are based on external cavities, that are limited by noise originated in the coatings of the cavity mirrors. Microstructured mirror coatings (so-called meta-mirrors) are a promising technology to overcome the limitations of coating noise and therewith pave the way towards next-generation ultra-stable lasers. We present experimental realization of a 12,000-finesse optical cavity based on one low-noise meta-mirror. The use of the mirrors studied here in cryogenic silicon cavities represents an order of magnitude reduction in the current limiting mirror noise, such that the stability limit due to fundamental noise can be reduced to 5 × 10

−18.

Organisation(s)
Photonics - Optical Analytics, Sensing and Spectroscopy
QuantumFrontiers
External Organisation(s)
Technische Universität Braunschweig
Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt PTB
Type
Article
Journal
Communications Physics
Volume
6
ISSN
2399-3650
Publication date
20.01.2023
Publication status
Published
Peer reviewed
Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
General Physics and Astronomy
Electronic version(s)
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-023-01131-1 (Access: Open)