Trapped light scattering within optical coatings: a multilayer roughness-coupling process

Abstract

Despite numerous works devoted to light scattering in multilayer optics, trapped scattering has not been considered until now. This consists in a roughness-coupling process at each interface of the multilayer, giving rise to electromagnetic modes traveling within the stack. Such a modal scattering component is today necessary for completing the energy balance within high-precision optics including mirrors for gyro-lasers and detection of gravitational waves, where every ppm (part per million) must be accounted for. We show how to calculate this trapped light and compare its order of magnitude with the free space scattering component emerging outside the multilayer.