On the losses of the counterpropagating modes of ring cavities
Abstract
The recent claims by Oughstun et al. (1982, 1983) that the eigenvalues of the transverse modes travelling along opposite directions in ring cavities are different are shown to be erroneous. It is necessary to compare the free-space propagation kernel for a round-trip along one direction with the kernel for propagation in the opposite direction. It is shown that such kernels are transpositions of each other; since such kernels have the same spectrum of eigenvalues, it follows that the two sets of eigenvalues associated with the counterpropagating modes of ring cavities are formally identical. The respective eigenfunctions obey a biorthogonality relationship.
- Publication:
-
IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics
- Pub Date:
- December 1984
- DOI:
- 10.1109/JQE.1984.1072325
- Bibcode:
- 1984IJQE...20.1303P
- Keywords:
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- Eigenvalues;
- Laser Cavities;
- Laser Modes;
- Propagation Modes;
- Ring Lasers;
- Transverse Waves;
- Kernel Functions;
- Orthogonal Functions;
- Wave Equations;
- Lasers and Masers