Title :
Whispering-gallery laser resonators. I. Diffraction of whispering-gallery modes
Author :
Braud, John Paul ; Hagelstein, Peter L.
Author_Institution :
Res. Lab. of Electron., MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
fDate :
4/1/1991 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
Whispering-gallery optics for use at soft X-ray and extreme ultraviolet wavelengths are examined for their potential applications in laser resonators. An examination is made of beam divergence at the exit of a whispering gallery resonator. The properties of whispering-gallery eigenmodes are reviewed, and the features of their Fourier transforms discussed. The Fraunhofer approximation is then used to describe the farfield pattern resulting from the diffraction of a whispering-gallery eigenmode. Explicit formulas are given for the farfield beamwidth and the Rayleigh distance. For modes of high order the results can be understood in terms of geometrical optics
Keywords :
Fourier transform optics; geometrical optics; laser cavity resonators; laser modes; light diffraction; Fourier transforms; Fraunhofer approximation; Rayleigh distance; beam divergence; diffraction; extreme ultraviolet wavelengths; farfield beamwidth; farfield pattern; geometrical optics; soft X-ray; whispering gallery laser resonators; whispering gallery optics; whispering-gallery eigenmodes; whispering-gallery modes; Acoustic beams; Laser beams; Laser modes; Mirrors; Optical diffraction; Optical resonators; Optical ring resonators; Ultraviolet sources; Whispering gallery modes; X-ray lasers;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
