Abstract

The results of a numerical study of the passive mode structure properties and far-field behavior of a linear positive-branch, confocal unstable resonator cavity with a small equivalent Fresnel number in the ideal unaberrated, intracavity phase-aberrated and intracavity phase-corrected states are presented. The analysis of Part I of this paper [ J. Opt. Soc. Am. 71, 862– 872 ( 1981)] is employed throughout to illuminate the numerical results obtained here. These numerical results illustrate both the limitation of the approximate geometrical theory to small applied aberration strengths and the powerful corrective capabilities afforded by an ideally configured intracavity adaptive optic element.

© 1981 Optical Society of America

Intracavity adaptive optic compensation of phase aberrations. III: Passive and active cavity study for a large N_eq resonator

Kurt Edmund Oughstun
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 73(3) 282-302 (1983)

Intracavity adaptive optic compensation of phase aberrations. I: Analysis

Kurt Edmund Oughstun
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 71(7) 862-872 (1981)

Intracavity compensation of quadratic phase aberrations

Kurt Edmund Oughstun
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 72(11) 1529-1537 (1982)

Intracavity adaptive optics. 4: Comparison of theory and experiment

Kurt E. Oughstun, J. M. Spinhirne, and D. Anafi
Appl. Opt. 23(10) 1529-1541 (1984)

Aberration sensitivity of unstable-cavity geometries

Kurt Edmund Oughstun
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 3(8) 1113-1141 (1986)