Could a Gaussian beam be described as parallel at a large distance?

In summary, the conversation discusses the behavior of a Gaussian beam at a large propagation distance, where it will noticeably diverge. To simplify the analysis, the speaker models the beam as parallel light when received at a finite detection area, resulting in a simplified equation for the received amplitude. However, their professor is unsure about the accuracy of this approximation and asks for more research materials on the topic. The conversation also touches on the concept of phase error and the relationship between transmitter power and received power.
  • #1
Haorong Wu
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Hello, there. Suppose a Gaussian beam is sent and is received at a great large distance, i.e., the propagation distance ##z \gg z_R## the Rayleigh distance.

The Gaussian beam can be described by $$E_0 \frac {1}{w(z)} \exp \left ( \frac {-r^2}{w(z)^2}\right )\exp\left ( -i\left (kz+k\frac {r^2}{2R(z)}-\psi(z)\right )\right ) $$
where ##E_0## is the amplitude of the electric field, ##w_0## is the waist radius, ##w(z)## is the radius of the beam at ##z##, ##k## is the frequency, ##R(z)## is the radius of curvature of the beam's wavefronts at ##z##, and ##\psi(z)## is the Gouy phase.

When the distance ##z## is larger than the Rayleigh distance ##z_R##, the beam will diverge noticeably. In my scenario, the propagation distance ##z## is so large that the curvature of the wavefront will approach zero. In order to simplify my analysis, I would like to treat them as parallel light when received by a finite small detection area. And since the other part that is not detected is lost, I modeled the light to be as a beam with a waist radius ##w_d##, which is the radius of the detection area, such as $$E_d \frac {1}{w_d} \exp \left ( \frac {-r^2}{w_d^2}\right )\exp\left ( -ikz \right ) $$ where ## E_d## is the received amplitude, the curvature term vanishes and the Gouy phase can be harmlessly removed.

But my professor said that he is not sure whether this approximation is correct or not and asked me to find more related papers. However, I have searched in Google scholar for days without success. Could you help me with this analysis or share possible materials? Thanks in advance.
 
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  • #2
In radio wave propagation beyond the Rayleigh Distance, we normally assume that phase error due to curvature is zero. Of course, all beams will diverge beyond the Rayleigh Distance.
 
  • #3
Hi, @tech99. Thanks for your reply. I am not familiar with the concept of phase error. On some websites, it reads that phase err (phase error) is the phase difference between the I/Q reference signal and the I/Q measured signal, averaged over all symbol points. But this seems not to be related to optics. Could you refer me to some materials? Thanks!
 
  • #4
I was just considering the phase error across a curved wavefront, which is negligible.
Not sure about the concept of using a waist diameter wd.
If you know the transmitter power, Pt, then received power Pr = Pt x detector area/beam area at distance z.
Received electric field strength = sqrt (377 x Pr)
If you don't know transmitter power but know Eo then you can find it from: Pt = waist area x Eo^2/377
 
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FAQ: Could a Gaussian beam be described as parallel at a large distance?

What is a Gaussian beam?

A Gaussian beam is a type of laser beam that has a Gaussian intensity profile, meaning that the intensity of the beam is highest at the center and decreases gradually towards the edges.

How does a Gaussian beam behave at a large distance?

At a large distance, a Gaussian beam will spread out and become wider due to diffraction, but it will still maintain its Gaussian intensity profile.

Can a Gaussian beam be described as parallel at a large distance?

No, a Gaussian beam cannot be described as completely parallel at a large distance because it will still experience some spreading due to diffraction.

What is the significance of describing a Gaussian beam as parallel at a large distance?

Describing a Gaussian beam as parallel at a large distance is useful for practical applications, such as in laser cutting or telecommunications, where the beam needs to maintain a relatively narrow focus over long distances.

How is the parallelism of a Gaussian beam quantified at a large distance?

The parallelism of a Gaussian beam at a large distance can be quantified by measuring the beam's divergence angle, which is the rate at which the beam's width increases with distance.

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