An integral equation of a dispersion cavity is considered, taking into account inhomogeneity of its optical length. Based on this equation, the resonant wavelength is shown to experience in the general case a shift relative to the value corresponding to the ideal alignment of the cavity. The magnitude and the direction of the shift depend on characteristics of diffraction in dispersion elements (prisms, diffraction gratings), as well as details of the geometry of the cavity. The shift indicated is found to be small, as a rule, for commonly used cavities, but it may result in distortions of the tuning characteristic and nonreproductivity of the wavelength of tunable lasers, which is appreciable in their use for precision measurements. The results of the work are also indicative of the possibility of nontraditional mechanisms for controlling the lasing spectrum of tunable lasers.
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