Birefringence of AlGaAs/GaAs coatings under above-band-gap illumination, GR noise, and photo-optic transfer function
Phys. Rev. D 114, 062006 – Published 10 September, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/19ty-vscg
Abstract
AlGaAs/GaAs coatings are being considered as coating candidates for gravitational-wave detectors. In this paper we investigate the birefringence properties of this crystalline semiconductor material by modulating the optical illumination on the mirror coating and monitoring the induced birefringence. While the measured low-frequency birefringence values align with previous studies, we observed a frequency-dependent behavior in the illumination-to-birefringence coupling, characterized by a pole increasing with illumination intensity and a gain at zero frequency (DC gain) decreasing with illumination intensity. We developed a generic theoretical model based on a master equation to characterize the measurement results by considering photon-induced electric fields and electro-optic effects. This model can fit the frequency and intensity dependencies of the induced birefringence. Additionally, this model predicts a generation-recombination noise (GR noise) will be observable in the coating birefringence. While the presented measurement cannot predict the exact level of GR noise, for the frequency band and spot sizes relevant for gravitational-wave detectors we expect GR noise to be white below the pole frequency, scale with power the same way laser shot noise does, and for fixed power be independent of spot size.
