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From: piner@pur-phy.UUCP (Richard Piner)
Newsgroups: net.physics,net.astro.expert
Subject: Re: FP inretforometer
Message-ID: <1949@pur-phy.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 25-Jan-86 02:21:06 EST
Article-I.D.: pur-phy.1949
Posted: Sat Jan 25 02:21:06 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 26-Jan-86 04:56:42 EST
References: <1917@saber.UUCP>
Reply-To: piner@pur-phy.UUCP (Piner)
Distribution: net
Organization: Purdue Univ. Physics Dept., IN
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Xref: watmath net.physics:3780 net.astro.expert:195

In article <1917@saber.UUCP> jc@saber.UUCP (John Cincotta) writes:
>I just heard a discussion of a Fabre Preot interformeter. It involved the
>use of 2 mirrors that had 95 % reflectance and 5 % transmission they were
>set up parrellel to each other and a given number of wavelengths apart.
>It was stated that if this device was raidated with 1 watt of light at that
>waveleignth the output at the other end would be 1 watt. And that there would
>be 20 wats of energy raidateing back and forth between the mirrors.
>Is this realy true and if so how does it work????
>
 That's Fabry-Perot interferometer. For a full description see
Jenkins and White. To explain in brief, an interfermometer acts as
a RF resonance cavity. The energy between the mirrors is stored as
a standing wave. The ratio of stored energy to radiated energy is
the "Q". This all makes sense to anyone with an EE backround. I have
a hell of a time explaining it to particle physicist however. If
you want to know more, come to Purdue and take my couse in optics.

					Rich Piner
					Purdue Physics Dept.
					piner@pur-phy.UUCP