No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

A high-power gas dynamic-laser example system is described, and its optical elements are represented in the ABCD-matrix formalism of Gaussian optics. Propagation of Gaussian beams, image formation, focusing, and steering by transverse refractive-index gradients are modeled with the ABCD matrix technique. The effects of small translations and rotations of optical elements are represented as matrices and vectors in the ABCD-matrix formalism, and are analyzed as component misalignments with single and multiple beam reflections. Example calculations show that alignment beams making multiple round trips inside an unstable resonator can easily provide satisfactory resonator alignment and designation of the aim point of an output optical train.

An analysis of modal noise in multimode optical fibers was performed. Both spatial and time varying modal noises were analyzed. The time varying modal noise was g.enerated in two ways: the first, by vibrating the optical fiber, the second, by varying the temperature of the optical fiber. Under controlled conditions the temperature of the optical fiber varied between 68°F to 200°F while the fiber was held stationary. The optical fiber was then vibrated while the temperature was held constant. Data indicated that the modal noise statistics agreed with the Beta distribution. The statistics of the spatial modal noise were measured and were then compared to the time varying modal noise. These statistical moments disagreed with the Beta statistics. This indicated that modal noise generated in optical fibers is possibly a non-ergodic process. Next the optical fiber's spatial auto-correlation function and spatial intensity fade statistics were computed.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Optical control of coherent quantum systems has many methods and applications. In this defense we will discuss the effects of an electric field interacting with molecules with dipole moments. The theoretical study of such molecules will consist of two-level atom and a three-level atom in the λ configuration. The methods that will be discussed are population trapping using both bright and dark starts obtained by both STIRAP and CHIRAP pulses. The application to be discussed is how to create a room temperature maser.