Mirror Coating Thermal Noise Mitigation Using Multi-Spatial Mode Cavity Readout

We present an approach to mitigate coating thermal noise in optical cavities by using multiple TEM spatial modes to readout and stabilize laser frequency. With optimal weightings we synthesize a wider sampling of the mirror surface, improving averaging of Brownian thermal fluctuation. We show thermal noise improvement factors of 1.57, comparable to a MESA beam of a nominal 12 m prototype cavity, and a factor 1.61 improvement over the ${\text{TEM}}_{00}$ using three modes in a 0.1 m cavity for a practical laboratory experiment: equivalent to cooling mirrors to 120 K from room temperature.