Abstract

This paper calculates the optical phase shifts on reflection from dielectric coated mirrors. The technique consists of measuring the transmission spectrum of the mirrors. These data are fitted with a theoretical expression based on an equivalent, quarter-wave stack. This expression then gives the phase-shift corrections for the mirrors. A fast algorithm, based on a series representation for Chebyshev polynomials, calculates the reflectivity and phase shift for a single wavelength in 3 sec in basic on an inexpensive home computer. An application is to measure absolute wavelengths with equipment commonly present in laser laboratories, namely, scanning Fabry–Perot interferometers with dielectric coated mirrors. The method is that of exact fractions, which requires one primary wavelength standard, with a less accurate, secondary standard (or wavemeter). The accuracy of the technique is equal to that of the primary standard. The precision is that of reading the interferometer and can be many times that of the secondary standard.

© 1986 Optical Society of America

Precise wavelength measurements and optical phase shifts. I. General theory

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