Title :
Do we know the wavelength of laser beams?
Author_Institution :
Ist. di Fisica, Torino Univ., Italy
Abstract :
This article deals with the effect of diffraction on the spatial periodicity of laser beams and gives particular attention to improvements in the mise en pratique of the definition of the meter. A general formula links the actual beam wavelength, which is not the same wavelength of its plane wave approximation, to the variances of the transverse components of photon impulse. Therefore, assessment of the values of these parameters is an integral part of the determination of the wavelength of radiations of stabilized lasers.
Keywords :
Fourier transform optics; covariance matrices; laser beams; laser stability; light diffraction; light interferometry; measurement standards; measurement uncertainty; FT properties; actual beam wavelength; beam propagation parameters; coherent beams; converging lenses; covariance matrix; diffraction correction; diffraction effect; laser beams; laser interferometry; metre definition; photon impulse; plane wave deviations; propagation of errors; spatial periodicity; stabilized lasers; transverse component variances; uncertainty; Arm; Frequency measurement; Laser beams; Laser modes; Laser stability; Lenses; Optical diffraction; Optical interferometry; Optical propagation; Wavelength measurement;
Conference_Titel :
Precision Electromagnetic Measurements Digest, 2000 Conference on
Conference_Location :
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-5744-2
DOI :
10.1109/CPEM.2000.851076
