Abstract

When an input Gaussian beam is improperly aligned and mode-matched to a stable optical resonator, the electric field in the resonator couples to off-axis spatial eigenmodes. We show that a translation of the input axis or a mismatch of the beam waist to the resonator waist size causes a coupling of off-axis modes which is inphase with the input field. On the other hand, a tilt of the input beam or a mismatch of the beam waist position to cavity waist position couples to these modes in quadrature phase. We also propose a method to measure these coupling coefficients and thereby provide a means to align and mode-match a resonant optical cavity in real time.

© 1984 Optical Society of America

Stabilization of laser beam alignment to an optical resonator by heterodyne detection of off-axis modes

Nicholas M. Sampas and Dana Z. Anderson
Appl. Opt. 29(3) 394-403 (1990)

Alignment sensing for optical cavities using radio-frequency jitter modulation

P. Fulda, D. Voss, C. Mueller, L. F. Ortega, G. Ciani, G. Mueller, and D. B. Tanner
Appl. Opt. 56(13) 3879-3888 (2017)

Single actuator alignment control for improved frequency stability of a cavity-based optical frequency reference

Samuel T. Dawkins and André N. Luiten
Appl. Opt. 47(9) 1239-1246 (2008)

Unstable resonator alignment using off-axis Gaussian beam propagation

S. L. Chao and A. D. Schnurr
Appl. Opt. 23(13) 2115-2121 (1984)

Principles of calculating alignment signals in complex resonant optical interferometers

Yaron Hefetz, Nergis Mavalvala, and Daniel Sigg
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 14(7) 1597-1606 (1997)