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Titania-doped tantala/silica coatings for gravitational-wave detection

Gregory M. Harry·Matthew R. Abernathy·Andres E. Becerra-Toledo·Helena Armandula·Eric Black·Kate Dooley·Matt Eichenfield·Chinyere Nwabugwu·Akira Villar·D. R. M. Crooks·Gianpietro Cagnoli·Jim Hough·Colin R. How·Ian MacLaren·Peter Murray·Stuart Reid·Sheila Rowan·Peter H. Sneddon·Martin M Fejer·Roger Route·Steven D. Penn·Patrick Ganau·Jean-Marie Mackowski·Christophe Michel·Laurent Pinard·Alban Remillieux
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Abstract

Reducing thermal noise from optical coatings is crucial to reaching the required sensitivity in next generation interferometric gravitational-waves detectors. Here we show that adding TiO$_2$ to Ta$_2$O$_5$ in Ta$_2$O$_5$/SiO$_2$ coatings reduces the internal friction and in addition present data confirming it reduces thermal noise. We also show that TiO$_2$-doped Ta$_2$O$_5$/SiO$_2$ coatings are close to satisfying the optical absorption requirements of second generation gravitational-wave detectors.

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Gregory M. Harry, Matthew R. Abernathy, Andres E. Becerra-Toledo, Helena Armandula, Eric Black, Kate Dooley, Matt Eichenfield, Chinyere Nwabugwu, Akira Villar, D. R. M. Crooks, Gianpietro Cagnoli, Jim Hough, Colin R. How, Ian MacLaren, Peter Murray, Stuart Reid, Sheila Rowan, Peter H. Sneddon, Martin M Fejer, Roger Route, Steven D. Penn, Patrick Ganau, Jean-Marie Mackowski, Christophe Michel, Laurent Pinard, Alban Remillieux. 2006-10-01. Titania-doped tantala/silica coatings for gravitational-wave detection. https://doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381%2F24%2F2%2F008

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