Open AccessOptical path length and trajectory stability in rotationally asymmetric multipass cells
Author(s) -
Galen Harden,
Luis Cortes-Herrera,
Anthony J. Hoffman
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.24.019497
Subject(s) - optics , optical path length , path length , optical path , trajectory , path (computing) , phase (matter) , physics , stability (learning theory) , volume (thermodynamics) , work (physics) , computer science , quantum mechanics , astronomy , machine learning , thermodynamics , programming language
We describe the behavior of optical trajectories in multipass rotationally asymmetric cavities (RACs) using a phase-space motivated approach. Emphasis is placed on generating long optical paths. A trajectory with an optical path length of 18 m is generated within a 68 cm 3 volume. This path length to volume ratio (26.6 cm -2 ) is large compared to current state of the art multipass cells such as the cylindrical multipass cell (6.6 cm -2 ) and astigmatic Herriott cell (9 cm -2 ). Additionally, the effect of small changes to the input conditions on the path length is studied and compared to the astigmatic Herriott cell. This work simplifies the process of designing RACs with long optical path lengths and could lead to broader implementation of these multipass cells.