Progress in Optics (eBook)

Front Cover 1
Progress in Optics, Volume XXV 4
Copyright Page 5
Contents 16
CHAPTER I. DYNAMICAL INSTABILITIES AND PULSATIONS IN LASERS 20
§ 1. Introduction 22
§ 2. Early Developments: Maser Studies 24
§ 3. Rate Equation Description of Laser Action: Relaxation Oscillations 30
§ 4. Semiclassical Laser Equations 41
§ 5. The Single-Mode Laser: Steady States and Stability Analysis 74
§ 6. Numerical Results for the Time-Dependent Behavior of the Laser in the Single-Mode Model 81
§ 7. Experimental Observations of Instabilities in Single-Mode, Homogeneously Broadened Lasers 88
§ 8. Effects of Inhomogeneous Broadening 92
§ 9. The Laser with a Saturable Absorber (LSA) 123
§ 10. Other Topics on Laser Stability and Pulsations 155
Acknowledgements 178
Appendix A: The Solvability Condition 179
Note Added in Proof 184
References 186
CHAPTER II. COHERENCE IN SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS 210
§ 1. Introduction 212
§ 2. Structures and Oscillation Mechanisms 213
§ 3. Noise and Temporal Coherence 220
§ 4. Improvement of Temporal Coherence 227
§ 5. Deterioration of Coherence Caused by Specific Noise in Semiconductor Lasers 253
§ 6. Applications of Highly Coherent Semiconductor Lasers 266
§ 7. Summary 292
Appendix 292
References 293
CHAPTER III. PRINCIPLES AND DESIGN OF OPTICAL ARRAYS 298
§ 1. Introduction 300
§ 2. The 2×2 Matrix Treatment of an Aligned Optical Element 303
§ 3. Matrix Treatment for Misaligned Elements 324
$ 4. Matrix Treatment of Arrays 330
§ 5. Pseudo Conjugator Arrays 342
§ 6. Arrays with Vanishing Determinant 360
§ 7. Conclusion 365
Acknowledgements 366
References 366
CHAPTER IV. ASPHERIC SURFACES 368
§ 1. Introduction 370
§ 2. Types of Aspherics and Their Mathematical Representation 371
§ 3. Design of Aspherics 376
§ 4. Fabrication and Testing Methods 406
§ 5. Fields of Application 410
§ 6. Limits of the Imaging Performance of Aspherics 422
Acknowledgements 429
References 429
Author Index 436
Subject Index 454
Cumulative Index, Volumes I-XXV 458