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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry
Published on: August 12, 2013
Different models for a hard-aperture function and corresponding approximate analytical propagation equations of a
1Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
Abstract:
Beam profiles that consist of a sum of complex-Gaussian functions, a sum of polynomial-Gaussian functions and a sum of multi-Gaussian functions offset by some fixed amount are proposed as three types of model for a hard-aperture function. By expanding an aperture function into these models, approximate analytical propagation equations for a Gaussian beam through an apertured ABCD optical system are obtained. Comparison among these models themselves and among propagation characteristics of a Gaussian beam through these models are made. It is shown that the first and third types of model for a hard-aperture function are more suitable than the second type, in terms of calculation efficiency and simulation results, for application to such diffraction problems. Moreover, there are some differences in the applicability of the first and the third models.
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