DIFFRACTIVE ANALYSIS OF ANNULAR RESONATORS

The model properties of annular resonators are investigated by using an approximate version of the Kirchhoff-Fresnel integral. It is shown that the radial diffraction of a thin annular beam with a large inside radius is similar to that of a cylindrical field distribution. This permits the formal demonstration of the equivalence that exists between large Fresnel number annular resonators and infinite strip resonators. The model explains the properties of annular resonators that have been observed either experimentally or numerically by others, such as the lack of azimuthal discrimination.