MODAL DECOMPOSITION OF PARTIALLY COHERENT FLAT-TOPPED BEAMS PRODUCED BY MULTIMODE LASERS

Citation
R. Borghi et M. Santarsiero, MODAL DECOMPOSITION OF PARTIALLY COHERENT FLAT-TOPPED BEAMS PRODUCED BY MULTIMODE LASERS, Optics letters, 23(5), 1998, pp. 313-315
Citations number
18
Categorie Soggetti
Optics
Journal title
ISSN journal
01469592
Volume
23
Issue
5
Year of publication
1998
Pages
313 - 315
Database
ISI
SICI code
0146-9592(1998)23:5<313:MDOPCF>2.0.ZU;2-B
Abstract
We present a simple mathematical model giving a possible description o f a partially coherent light beam exhibiting a flat-topped transverse intensity profile. Such a model allows us to deduce the modal distribu tion inside a multimode stable optical cavity, assuming that the modes are of the Hermite-Gauss type. The analytical expression used to repr esent flat-topped profiles is of the flattened Gaussian type and leads to an exact, closed-form expression for the M-2 factor of the output beam. An analogous procedure could be used to treat the general proble m of deducing the modal distribution inside a laser cavity starting fr om intensity measurements of the output beam. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.