A laser with instability reaching $4 \times 10^{-17}$ based on a 10-cm-long silicon cavity at sub-5-K temperatures

Abstract: The realization of ultra-stable lasers with $10^{-17}$-level frequency stability has enabled a wide range of researches on precision metrology and fundamental science, where cryogenic single-crystalline cavities constitute the heart of such ultra-stable lasers. For further improvements in stability, increasing the cavity length at few-kelvin temperatures provides a promising alternative to utilizing relatively short cavities with novel coating, but has yet to be demonstrated with state-of-the-art stability. Here we report on the realization of a relatively long ultra-stable silicon cavity with a length of 10 cm and sub-5-K operating temperatures. We devise a dynamical protocol of cool-quiet quench measurement that reveals the inherent $10^{-17}$-level frequency instability of the silicon cavity despite the substantially larger frequency noise induced by the cryostat vibration. We further develop a method for suppressing the cryostat-vibration-induced frequency noise under continuous cooling, and observe an average frequency instability of $4.3(2) \times 10^{-17}$ for averaging times of 4 to 12 seconds. Using the measured noise power spectral density, we compute a median linewidth of 9.6(3) mHz for the silicon cavity laser at 1397 nm, which is supported by an empirically determined linewidth of 5.7(3) mHz based on direct optical beat measurements. These results establish a new record for optical cavities within a closed-cycle cryocooler at sub-5-K temperatures and provide a prototypical system for using long cryogenic cavities to enhance frequency stabilities to the low-$10^{-17}$ or better level.