Abstract
Fabry-Perot (F-P) interferometers are commonly studied in undergraduate textbooks. Their spectral transmittance profiles are usually analyzed assuming that a plane wave is incident on the interferometer. This wave undergoes multiple reflections on the interferometer surfaces, and the interference of all these waves leads to the typical resonance structure of the spectral transmittance profile described by the Airy formula. However Fabry-Perot interferometers are commonly used in conjunction with laser beams, for example when they are used as intracavity-wavelength and longitudinal mode-selecting etalons. Although it is evident that the finite size of the beam will produce a deterioration of the filtering characteristics of the F-P interferometer, this effect is not usually analyzed in undergraduate textbooks. The aim of this work is to show students how the finite size of the incident beam influences the spatial and spectral response of the F-P interferometer. In particular it will be shown that the spectral response of the F-P interferometer can significantly differ from that predicted by the Airy formula. The theoretical approach is based on a plane-wave angular spectrum representation of the incident, transmitted, and reflected beams. The incident beam is assumed to be gaussian and the cases of normal and oblique incidence are discussed.
© 2017 OSA, SPIE, ICO, IEEE
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