Laser Transverse Modes with Ray-Wave Duality: A Review

Abstract

We present a systematic overview on laser transverse modes with ray-wave duality. We start from the spectrum of eigenfrequencies in ideal spherical cavities to display the critical role of degeneracy for unifying the Hermite–Gaussian eigenmodes and planar geometric modes. We subsequently review the wave representation for the elliptical modes that generally carry the orbital angular momentum. Next, we manifest the fine structures of eigenfrequencies in a spherical cavity with astigmatism to derive the wave-packet representation for Lissajous geometric modes. Finally, the damping effect on the formation of transverse modes is generally reviewed. The present overview is believed to provide important insights into the ray-wave correspondence in mesoscopic optics and laser physics.