Abstract
Taking into account the wave structure of the light beam, determined by diffraction theory, we consider the harmful effect of the inclination of the mirrors of a Fabry-Perot interferometer when fringes of equal inclination are being observed. It is found that the contrast and resolution of the fringes of equal inclination are reduced as the angle of the wedge so formed is increased, and the interferometer (resonator) completely loses its high-resolution capability (Q-factor) when the mirrors deviate from parallelism by an angle equal to half the diffraction angle at its aperture. The advantages of stopping down both the incoming and outgoing beams in improving the contrast and increasing the resolution of the fringes of equal inclination are pointed out.
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The author thanks Professor F. A. Korolev for his interest.
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Hassan, M. Theory of the Fabry-Perot interferometer with nonparallel reflectors. Soviet Physics Journal 10, 41–44 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00838529
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00838529