DOE OSTI · 3484907
Redefining precision interferometry and spectroscopy with high-performance optical interference coatings
Abstract
High-performance optical interference coatings have transformed precision interferometry and spectroscopy by enabling unparalleled control over light–matter interactions. This review explores recent innovations in ion-beam sputtered amorphous dielectric, as well as substrate-transferred crystalline coatings, and their impact on systems at the forefront of precision metrology. These state-of-the-art coating techniques generate multilayers with ultralow optical losses, yielding mirrors with exceptional reflectivity. Refinements in their noise performance push the ultimate limits of sensitivity, resolution, and stability in demanding laser-based metrology applications. These technologies underpin the most advanced timekeeping and spatial measurement tools, enabling high-finesse reference cavities for the world’s most precise optical atomic clocks and low-noise reflective test masses for km-baseline gravitational-wave detectors. Emerging hybrid designs combining these techniques expand access to the mid-infrared spectral region, enabling the first ultralow-optical-loss coatings in the 3000–5000 nm wavelength range for enhanced spectroscopy and trace-gas detection. We highlight how these technologies redefine coating performance metrics and set new benchmarks in quantum science, fundamental physics, and precision optical sensing.
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Cole, Garrett D. [University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000171493218), Legero, Thomas [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig (Germany)] (ORCID:0000000302773907), Sterr, Uwe [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig (Germany)] (ORCID:000000015661769X), Lee, Dahyeon [University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000257790010), Ye, Jun [University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000300762112), Gretarsson, Andri M. [Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, AZ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000334389926), Harry, Gregory [American University, Washington, DC (United States)] (ORCID:0000000289057622), Penn, Steven [Syracuse University, NY (United States); Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000349560853), Pinard, Laurent [Université Claude Bernard Lyon, Villeurbanne (France)] (ORCID:0000000288421867), Menoni, Carmen S. [Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000191852572), Fejer, Martin M. [Stanford University, CA (United States)], Wittwer, Valentin J. [Université de Neuchâtel (Switzerland); Utom AG, Oensingen (Switzerland)] (ORCID:0000000318832393), Fleisher, Adam J. [National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD (United States)] (ORCID:0000000192160607), Demos, Stavros G. [University of Rochester, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000271307398), Heckl, Oliver H. [University of Vienna (Austria)] (ORCID:0000000328791564). 2026-07-30. Redefining precision interferometry and spectroscopy with high-performance optical interference coatings. https://doi.org/10.1364/optica.601572
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