Substrate and coating defect planarization strategies for high-laser-fluence multilayer mirrors

Multilayer deformation planarization by substrate pit suturing.

In the pursuit of 1064 nm high-power laser resistance dielectric coatings in the nanosecond region, a group of HfO2/SiO2 high reflectors with and without suture layers were prepared on prearranged fused silica substrates with femtosecond laser pits. Surface morphology, global coating stress, and high-resolution cross sections were characterized to determine the effects of ...

Investigation of Steady-State and Transient Defect Populations in KH2PO4 Subsequent to High Fluence Laser Irradiation

Coating-free mirrors for high precision interferometric experiments

Thermal noise in mirror optical coatings may not only limit the sensitivity of future gravitational-wave detectors in their most sensitive frequency band but is also a major impediment for experiments that aim to reach the standard quantum limit or cool mechanical systems to their quantum ground state. We present the design and experimental characterization of a highly reflecting mirror without...

Coating-Free Mirrors for Ultra-Sensitive Interferometry

Thermodynamical fluctuations impose random noise on the position of optical components. It is predicted that this thermal noise will limit the sensitivity of interferometric gravitational-wave detectors in their most sensitive frequency band. Thermal noise originating from optical coatings was first considered in the context of interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Its true significance...

Multilayer silicon cavity mirrors for the far-infrared p-Ge laser.

Multilayer mirrors capable of > 99.9% reflectivity in the far infrared (70-200 microm wavelengths) were constructed using thin silicon etalons separated by empty gaps. Calculations indicate that only three periods are required to produce 99.9% reflectivity because of the large difference between the index of refraction of silicon (3.384) and the vacuum (1). The mirror was assembled from high-pu...