Abstract

This paper examines the nature of the interaction of rapidly scanning, coherent light beams with linear dispersive optical elements. The analytical technique used is to represent a scanning beam by a sum of plane waves of different frequencies, traveling in different directions. The response of the optical element to each component plane wave is computed and then the responses are added. It is found, for example, that a dispersive element can transform a scanning beam into an amplitude-modulated plane wave, or conversely, transform an amplitude-modulated plane wave into a scanning beam.

© 1965 Optical Society of America

Theory of Fresnel Images. I. Plane Periodic Objects in Monochromatic Light*

John T. Winthrop and C. R. Worthington
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 55(4) 373-381 (1965)

Information Content of a Beam of Photons*

Ellen Hisdal
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 55(11) 1446-1454 (1965)

Diffraction of Cylindrical Electromagnetic Waves by Ribbons and Slits

Richard Barakat
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 55(8) 992-997 (1965)

A New Theory of Wood’s Anomalies on Optical Gratings

A. Hessel and A. A. Oliner
Appl. Opt. 4(10) 1275-1297 (1965)

Design of Plane Mirror Systems*

David A. Berkowitz
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 55(11) 1464-1467 (1965)