Abstract

The spectrum of characteristic oscillation frequencies and modal losses for spherical mirror optical resonators is derived in an approximation equivalent to geometrical optics. This is a significant approximation for unstable or high loss configurations when the Fresnel number is large. The analysis is based on the scalar integral equations of Fox and Li and agrees with the known result for the dominant mode losses in the geometrical optics limit.

© 1967 Optical Society of America

Modes of Stable and Unstable Optical Resonators

Leonard Bergstein
Appl. Opt. 7(3) 495-504 (1968)

Ray-optical calculation of eigenmode behavior of unstable laser resonators with rounded edges

C. Santana
Appl. Opt. 20(16) 2852-2855 (1981)

Unstable Optical Resonators

Walter K. Kahn
Appl. Opt. 5(3) 407-413 (1966)

Unstable Optical Resonator Loss Calculations Using the Prony Method

A. E. Siegman and H. Y. Miller
Appl. Opt. 9(12) 2729-2736 (1970)

Transverse Mode Structure in Unstable Optical Cavities

D. C. Sinclair and T. H. E. Cottrell
Appl. Opt. 6(5) 845-849 (1967)