Abstract
AN optical maser, using a good-quality ruby crystal with plane-parallel reflectors, oscillates in modes corresponding to Fabry–Perot resonances. Oscillations are shown to occur at several different wavelengths corresponding to various numbers of half-wave-lengths between reflecting ends. For each wavelength, there are many angular modes which are coupled so that they oscillate coherently. This implies that a set of angular modes may be considered a single modified mode and that light from the entire set may be focused to a point of minimum size allowed by the wave-length of the light.
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ABELLA, I., TOWNES, C. Mode Characteristics and Coherence in Optical Ruby Masers. Nature 192, 957–959 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/192957b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/192957b0
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