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Thermoelastic limit on the focal intensity in Fabry-Pérot cavities

Jeremy J. Axelrod

Lothar Maisenbacher, Ashwin Singh, Isaac M. Pope, Petar N. Petrov*, and Jessie T. Zhang

Holger Müller†

  • *Present address: Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
  • †Contact author: hm@berkeley.edu
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Phys. Rev. A 114, 043507 – Published 6 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/hbqy-z81p

Abstract

Light in the mode of a Fabry-Pérot cavity heats the mirror surfaces via optical absorption, causing thermoelastic deformation of the mirror substrates, which in turn dictates the shape of the mode. We develop an analytical model which predicts that this effect limits the maximum focal intensity of the mode. Using two near-concentric Fabry-Pérot cavities—one with 4.5-fold-higher mirror absorption than the other—we measure the thermoelastic properties of the cavity mirrors and demonstrate that it is possible to achieve at least 70% of this predicted limit (in the high-absorption cavity) and that the predicted limit is 2.9TW/cm2 (in the low-absorption cavity).

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Phys. Rev. A 114, 043507– Published 6 October, 2026
  • Received 18 April 2026
  • Accepted 30 July 2026
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