Astigmatically compensated cavities for CW dye lasers

An analysis is given of folded 3-mirror laser resonators with an internal cell set at Brewster's angle. A method is described to compensate the astigmatic distortions introduced by both the internal mirror and the cell. This compensation is achieved for a specific relation between cell thickness and folding angle. It allows the formation of a tight intracavity focus as required in applications such as CW dye lasers. A discussion is given of the mode characteristics of compensated cavities and of the limitation on beam concentration set by the thickness of the Brewster cell.