OPTICAL DELAY ELEMENTS CREATED FROM VARIATIONS OF THE ROBERT CELL

摘要

An optical delay device comprises a multi-pass optical cell including first and second facing curved mirrors defining an optical cavity. One curved mirror includes a spatially extended aperture, such as a wedge-shaped notch aperture formed into the perimeter of the curved mirror. One curved mirror is split into two component mirrors one of which is tilted to define a swirling reflection pattern on the curved mirror that includes the spatially extended aperture. The optical time delay introduced to a light ray by the multi-pass optical cell depends on the input location of the light ray into the spatially extended aperture. The optical delay device may include two such multi-pass optical cells and a mirror that optically couples the two said multi-pass optical cells.