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arXiv:2605.16710

High-Frequency Thermal Noise in Michelson Interferometers

Daniel Graß, S. M. Vermeulen, I. A. O. MacMillan, Lee P. McCuller

Published May 15, 2026• 0 citations

Abstract

Thermal noise in optics constrains the precision of optical experiments, including Michelson interferometers, optical clocks, and optomechanical sensors. While high-power optical experiments such as gravitational-wave detectors are currently limited mainly by quantum noise, new experiments incorporating recent insights from quantum metrology are being developed that evade the quantum shot noise background. In particular, Michelson interferometers that use photon-counting readout will look for weak, high-frequency signals. Since shot noise is no longer the dominant noise source with these readout schemes, it is important to accurately model thermal noise to characterize signals and design more sensitive experiments. However, previous modeling uses approximations that are no longer valid in these frequency regimes. In the MHz band, the quasistatic approximation does not apply. We therefore develop more general models of substrate and coating mechanical (Brownian) noise, substrate and coating thermoelastic noise, and coating thermorefractive noise. We validate the models with comparisons to previous low-frequency modeling and high-frequency spectra from an experiment that has already taken data, the Holometer. We then apply the new models to GQuEST, an experiment under construction.

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2605.16710

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\gtrsim1\,

MHz), perhaps indicating its more complex underlying physics. The measurement requires a relatively low light power and a short time, so that it has a wide range of applicability.

We present an overview of quantum noise in gravitational-wave interferometers. Current gravitational-wave detectors are modified variants of a Michelson interferometer and the quantum noise limits are strongly influenced by the optical configuration of the interferometer. We describe recent developments in the treatment of quantum noise in the complex interferometers of present-day and future gravitational-wave detectors and explore prospects for beating the standard quantum limit by use of both injected and ponderomotive squeezing in future interferometers.

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