Experimental Simulation of a Multiple Beam Optical Waveguide

Two mirrors, 15 centimeters in diameter and 25 meters apart, form an optical delay line which can store two gaussian beams for 342 round trips or 60 microseconds. This paper reports experiments which studied the intensity profiles, the phase fronts, and the cross scattering between these beams after their retrieval from the delay line. In certain respects, the delay line simulates a multiple beam guide made of 684 mirror periscopes. The experimental results permit an estimate of the beam capacity, the crosstalk, and the transmission length of such a guide.