Fractal modes in unstable resonators

G. P. Karman (), G. S. McDonald (), G. H. C. New () and J. P. Woerdman ()
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G. P. Karman: Leiden University
G. S. McDonald: Leiden University
G. H. C. New: Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College
J. P. Woerdman: Leiden University

Nature, 1999, vol. 402, issue 6758, 138-138

Abstract: Abstract One of the simplest optical systems, consisting of two mirrors facing each other to form a resonator, turns out to have a surprising property. Stable resonators, in which the paths of the rays are confined between the two mirrors, have a well known mode structure (hermite–gaussian), but the nature of the modes that can occur in unstable reson-ant cavities (from which the rays ultimately escape) are harder to calculate, particularly for real three-dimensional situations1. Here we show that these peculiar eigenmodes of unstable resonators are fractals, a finding that may lead to a better understanding of phenomena such as chaotic scattering and pattern formation. Our discovery may have practical application to lasers based on unstable resonators1.

Date: 1999
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DOI: 10.1038/45960

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