Cryogenic single crystal silicon cavity

Abstract

In this paper we present a study on an ultra-low noise cavity-stabilized-laser developed at the laboratory. The project aims to realize an ultra-stable cavity with a flicker frequency noise floor expected to be at ~ 4×10-17. This level of frequency noise can be achieved by making the cavity from a high mechanical quality factor material: single crystal silicon. The cavity needs to be cooled down to 17K with a cryocooled cryostat in order to cancel the coefficient of thermal expansion. Finite elements modeling helps to design a vibration insensitive cavity to be compatible with the objectives.