Characterization of light backscattered from optical components using balanced low coherence interferometry

Imran Khan; Michel Lequime; Myriam Zerrad; Claude Amra

doi:10.1117/12.2597305

23 September 2021 Characterization of light backscattered from optical components using balanced low coherence interferometry

Imran Khan, Michel Lequime, Myriam Zerrad, Claude Amra

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11872, Advances in Optical Thin Films VII; 118720S (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2597305
Event: SPIE Optical Systems Design, 2021, Online Only

Abstract

Light scattered from optical components is a source of critical noise for interferometric gravitational wave detectors such as LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, or the future space antenna LISA. Therefore it is important to accurately quantify the amount of light coherently back-reflected or back-scattered by optical components involved in the design of such instruments. As an example, for a good quality plane silica window (1 nm RMS roughness) illuminated by a Gaussian beam with a waist of 1 mm, the amount of light back-scattered by each interface is between -95 dB and -125 dB following the angle of incidence. This defines the stringent sensitivity requirements we have to satisfy for such applications. In our communication, we present the measurements performed on a Silver coated mirror using a low coherence interferometer implemented with balanced detection.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Imran Khan, Michel Lequime, Myriam Zerrad, and Claude Amra "Characterization of light backscattered from optical components using balanced low coherence interferometry", Proc. SPIE 11872, Advances in Optical Thin Films VII, 118720S (23 September 2021); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2597305

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