Mid-infrared supermirrors with finesse exceeding 400 000

Gar-Wing Truong (), Lukas W. Perner, D. Michelle Bailey, Georg Winkler, Seth B. Cataño-Lopez, Valentin J. Wittwer, Thomas Südmeyer, Catherine Nguyen, David Follman, Adam J. Fleisher, Oliver H. Heckl () and Garrett D. Cole
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Gar-Wing Truong: Thorlabs Crystalline Solutions
Lukas W. Perner: University of Vienna
D. Michelle Bailey: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Georg Winkler: University of Vienna
Seth B. Cataño-Lopez: Thorlabs Crystalline Solutions
Valentin J. Wittwer: Université de Neuchâtel
Thomas Südmeyer: Université de Neuchâtel
Catherine Nguyen: Thorlabs Crystalline Solutions
David Follman: Thorlabs Crystalline Solutions
Adam J. Fleisher: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Oliver H. Heckl: University of Vienna
Garrett D. Cole: Thorlabs Crystalline Solutions

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract For trace gas sensing and precision spectroscopy, optical cavities incorporating low-loss mirrors are indispensable for path length and optical intensity enhancement. Optical interference coatings in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectral regions have achieved total optical losses below 2 parts per million (ppm), enabling a cavity finesse in excess of 1 million. However, such advancements have been lacking in the mid-infrared (MIR), despite substantial scientific interest. Here, we demonstrate a significant breakthrough in high-performance MIR mirrors, reporting substrate-transferred single-crystal interference coatings capable of cavity finesse values from 200 000 to 400 000 near 4.5 µm, with excess optical losses (scatter and absorption) below 5 ppm. In a first proof-of-concept demonstration, we achieve the lowest noise-equivalent absorption in a linear cavity ring-down spectrometer normalized by cavity length. This substantial improvement in performance will unlock a rich variety of MIR applications for atmospheric transport and environmental sciences, detection of fugitive emissions, process gas monitoring, breath-gas analysis, and verification of biogenic fuels and plastics.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43367-z

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