A method to determine the M2 beam quality from the electric field in a single plane
Optics
2024-01-01 v1
Abstract
Laser beam quality is a key parameter for both industry and science. However, the most common measure, the M2 parameter, requires numerous intensity spatial-profiles for its determination. This is particularly inconvenient for modelling the impact of photonic devices on M2, such as metalenses and thin-film stacks, since models typically output a single electric field spatial-profile. Such a profile is also commonly determined in experiments from e.g., Shack-Hartmann sensors, shear plates, or off-axis holography. We introduce and test the validity and limitations of an explicit method to calculate M2 from a single electric field spatial-profile of the beam in any chosen transverse plane along the propagation direction.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2305.07724,
title = {A method to determine the M2 beam quality from the electric field in a single plane},
author = {M. H. Griessmann and A. C. Martinez-Becerril and J. S. Lundeen},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2305.07724},
year = {2024}
}