Fabry-Perot Interference Filters.
Abstract
The discrimination of coherent, laser radiation from incoherent, white-light radiation can be accomplished with properly designed interference filters that make use of the coherent nature of laser radiation in addition to its narrow-band spectral character. In this study it is assumed that we wish to block high power laser radiation from a detector without impeding its ability to see light emitted by broad-band, incoherent, weak continuum sources. We analyze two types of Fabry-Perot, air spaced filters: (1) the tunable two- or multiplate Fabry-Perot interferometer and (2) a multiplate stack of 1/4-wave plates. It is shown that the Fabry-Perot interferometer has a limited rejection ratio for coherent radiation, but offers the possibility of relatively large tuning range. By contrast, the rejection ratio for coherent radiation of quarter-wave plates can be made as large as 10000 with a white-light transmission of 20%, and a bandwidth delta lambda/lambda sub O = 0.03. However, the tuning range of such a stack will be limited. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADA136511
Entities
People
- R. W. F. Gross
Organizations
- The Aerospace Corporation