Starting from the ray optical treatment of first-order optical systems this class develops the ideas and approaches underpinning the properties of laser beam propagation and its application to optical resonators. Topics range from ABCD ray transfer matrices, classification and stability of optical resonators, to the properties of a variety of common optical resonators. The goal of the class is to provide the students with the skills to analyze basic laser beam propagation and resonator properties.
Instructor(s)
- dalziel