Thermal noise in amorphous coatings is a limitation for a wide range of precision experiments such as gravitational-wave detectors (GWDs). Mirrors for GWDs are composed of multiple thin layers of dielectric materials deposited on a substrate: the stack is made of layers with a high refractive index interleaved with layers of a low refractive index. The goal is to obtain high reflectivity and low thermal noise. In this paper we report on the optical and mechanical properties of ion-beamsputtered aluminium fluoride (AlF3) thin films which have one of the lowest refractive index among the known coating materials and we discuss their application in current and future GWDs.
Characterization of ion-beam-sputtered AlF$_3$ thin films for gravitational-wave interferometers
M. Bischi;G. M. Guidi;F. Martelli;M. Menotta;M. Montani;F. Piergiovanni;L. Valentini;P. Gobbi
2022
Abstract
Thermal noise in amorphous coatings is a limitation for a wide range of precision experiments such as gravitational-wave detectors (GWDs). Mirrors for GWDs are composed of multiple thin layers of dielectric materials deposited on a substrate: the stack is made of layers with a high refractive index interleaved with layers of a low refractive index. The goal is to obtain high reflectivity and low thermal noise. In this paper we report on the optical and mechanical properties of ion-beamsputtered aluminium fluoride (AlF3) thin films which have one of the lowest refractive index among the known coating materials and we discuss their application in current and future GWDs.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
