title: Thermal-noise limit in the frequency stabilization of lasers with rigid cavities.
abstract: We evaluate thermal noise (Brownian motion) in a rigid reference cavity used for frequency stabilization of lasers, based on the mechanical loss of cavity materials and the numerical analysis of the mirror-spacer mechanics with the direct application of the fluctuation dissipation theorem. This noise sets a fundamental limit for the frequency stability achieved with a rigid frequency-reference cavity of order 1 Hz/ square root Hz (0.01 Hz/ square root Hz) at 10 mHz (100 Hz) at room temperature. This level coincides with the world-highest level stabilization results.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics, Code 663, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA. numata@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Numata
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kemery
authors.forename: Jordan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Camp