From: pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net   
      
   On 07/16/2015 09:45 AM, Michael Koch wrote:   
   >   
   >> There's a very useful and inexpensive Dover book, "Introduction to   
   >> matrix methods in optics"  by Gerrard and Burch, that has a very   
   >> clear discussion.  That's where I learned about a lot of that   
   >> stuff.   
   >   
   > It's out of print, but I just found one on ebay. "requires little   
   > prior knowledge..." that's exactly what I need :-)   
   >   
   > "Clear, accessible guide requires little prior knowledge and   
   > considers just two topics: paraxial imaging and polarization. Lucid   
   > discussions of paraxial imaging properties of a centered optical   
   > system, optical resonators and laser beam propagation, matrices in   
   > polarization optics and propagation of light through crystals, much   
   > more. 60 illustrations. Appendixes. Bibliography."   
   >   
   > Thanks, Michael   
   >   
      
   Once you've got that stuff down, you might like to have a look at   
   "Lasers" by the late great Tony Siegman.  Tony was a professor of mine   
   back in the mid '80s, and was also a regular poster on this group (AES).   
     He helped a _lot_ of people, and at one point the Ginzton Lab faculty   
   included four generations of his 'family'.  (Tony, Steve Harris, Bob   
   Byer, and Marty Fejer.)  Must be fun working with your   
   great-grandstudent. ;)  (Tony narrowly escaped being on my thesis   
   committee--it was during the summer, and he wanted to do research instead.)   
      
   It's a very big, very good book, and probably way more than you need.   
   However, in Section 20.3, he shows that a Gaussian beam propagates as   
   though it were an ABCD matrix with one complex element.  This takes care   
   of the focus shift due to diffraction, and is great for designing   
   optical systems using narrow beams, such as the ~0.5 mm diameter ones   
   that come from most small lasers.   
      
   Magic.   
      
   Cheers   
      
   Phil Hobbs   
      
      
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