Thermo-optic noise in coated mirrors for high-precision optical measurements

Abstract

Thermal fluctuations in the coatings used to make high reflectors are becoming significant noise sources in precision optical measurements and are particularly relevant to advanced gravitational-wave detectors. There are two recognized sources of coating thermal noise; mechanical loss and thermal dissipation. Thermal dissipation causes thermal fluctuations in the coating which produce noise via the thermoelastic and thermorefractive mechanisms. We treat these mechanisms coherently, give a correction for finite coating thickness, and evaluate the implications for Advanced LIGO.