Coherent photo-thermal noise cancellation in a dual-wavelength optical cavity for narrow-linewidth laser frequency stabilisation

Abstract

Optical resonators are used for the realisation of ultra-stable frequency lasers. The use of high reflectivity multi-band coatings allows the frequency locking of several lasers of different wavelengths to a single cavity. While the noise processes for single wavelength cavities are well known, the correlation caused by multi-stack coatings has as yet not been analysed experimentally. In our work, we stabilise the frequency of a $729\,$nm and a $1069\,$nm laser to one mirror pair and determine the residual-amplitude modulation (RAM) and photo-thermal noise (PTN). We find correlations in PTN between the two lasers and observe coherent cancellation of PTN for the $1069\,$nm coating. We show that the fractional frequency instability of the $729\,$nm laser is limited by RAM at $1\times10^{-14}$. The instability of the $1069\,$nm laser is at $3\times10^{-15}$ close to the thermal noise limit of $1.5\times10^{-15}$.