Increased Sensitivity of Higher-Order Laser Beams to Mode Mismatches

Abstract: This manuscript derives explicit factors linking mode-mismatch-induced power losses, in Hermite-Gauss optical modes to the losses of the fundamental spatial mode. Higher order modes are found to be more sensitive to beam parameter mismatches. This is particularly relevant for gravitational-wave detectors, where lasers employing higher-order optical modes have been proposed to mitigate thermal noise and quantum-enhanced detectors are very susceptible to losses. This work should inform mode matching and squeezing requirements for \textit{Advanced+} and \textit{Third Generation} detectors.