Modes Of Unstable Ring Resonator With Self-Imaging Aperture

Carl M. Wiggins

doi:10.1117/12.932065

Translator Disclaimer

30 December 1981 Modes Of Unstable Ring Resonator With Self-Imaging Aperture

Carl M. Wiggins

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 0288, Los Alamos Conf on Optics '81; (1981) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.932065
Event: Los Alamos Conference on Optics, 1981, Los Alamos, United States

Abstract

In this paper we compare the converged solutions of infinite Fresnel number, negative branch unstable ring resonators of circular mirrors and apertures to the low-order symmetric and nonsymmetric geometric eigenmodes that one would expect in the limit where diffraction effects can be ignored. We use the fact that the equivalent collimated round-trip propagation length of a negative branch ring resonator can be zero under conditions that allow an aperture of the optical system to be imaged onto itself, i.e., to be self-imaged. Using a numerical resonator model, we show that for certain size spatial filters placed in the focal plane, the dominant ℓ = 0 and ℓ = 1 modes are given by the lowest order symmetric and nonsymmetric geometric modes, thus verifying the self-imaging aperture concept for resonators employing round optics. (Here, ℓ is the azimuthal mode index.) We present detailed results which show that a spatial filter may be used to stabilize modes over a wide range of eigenvalues in addition to those for which it is self-imaging.

Citation Download Citation

Carl M. Wiggins "Modes Of Unstable Ring Resonator With Self-Imaging Aperture", Proc. SPIE 0288, Los Alamos Conf on Optics '81, (30 December 1981); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.932065

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE