RP Resonator 2.0 – Advanced Laser Resonator Design and Optimization
| Start | Purpose | Model | User Interface | Demos | Licenses |
The Script Language
RP Resonator is controlled with a very powerful script language. Each input script contains everything from the definition of a resonator to the calculations to be made and the resulting graphics. (Of course, you can store frequently used script parts in external files and easily call them in your main script.)
Some code snippets show you that the script language is easy to use. The first example shows how a simple resonator is defined:
F_cr:=0.3 { diopters of the laser crystal }
resonator: standing-wave
* mirror (M1): R = 500 mm
* air: d = 100 mm
* lens (Crystal): f = if F_cr <> 0 then 1 / F_cr
* air: d = 200 mm
* mirror (M2): R = 0 { no curvature }
resonator end
Here, the arm lengths are simply defined with numerical values, but the dioptric power of the laser crystal is given as a parameter which can be varied, for example, in graphics.
The second example shows you how to display calculated mode radii, well formatted with 3 valid digits and units of meters:
show "w at M1: ", w(zm[M1],lambda_ref):d3:"m" show "w at Crystal: ", w(zm[Crystal],lambda_ref):d3:"m" show "w at M2: ", w(zm[M2],lambda_ref):d3:"m"
Finally, we define graphical output, showing the beam radius vs. position:
graph 1: "Beam Radius vs. Position" x: 0, L_res/cm "z position (cm)", @x y: 0, 800 frame hx hy f: w(x*cm,lambda_ref)/um, "w(z) (µm)", color=blue, width=3
You will soon appreciate the manifold advantages of the scripting approach:
- You can simply copy and paste parts of the provided demo files, or of your earlier script files, in order to reuse code.
- Let substantial parts of the required scripts be generated based on form inputs (see below).
- In complicated cases, RP Photonics can send you some lines of code.
- The scripting approach is extremely flexible, allowing you e.g. to systematically vary certain parameters, import and export data in various formats, set up new types of graphs, or mathematically process data.
- A script file perfectly documents your work. When you read it later on, you easily see what you have done. You do not need to remember e.g. what settings you have done in some interactive windows.
The Input Wizards Form
Particularly beginners might be concerned about the need to learn the script language. However, the input wizards form makes it very easy to get started. Just type numbers or even mathematical expressions into the form fields, and you instantly see the corresponding script code being generated.
Graphical Output
Your script can define one or many different types of graphs for visualizing the results of the calculations. Examples are shown on the pages for various example cases. Each diagram is shown in a separate window, which also allows you to measure positions using one or two cursors, save the graphics in GIF or PNG format, and to copy the graphics to the Windows clipboard. Below you see an example of such a graph window, showing the beam radius vs. position within a resonator.
Comprehensive Documentation
RP Resonator comes with very well worked out documentation, which allows you to have a quick start and work efficiently even when doing sophisticated modeling:
- There is a manual in PDF format, explaining in detail (on about 40 pages) the principles of the physical model, the user interface, the script language, etc.
- The context-sensitive online help function is even more comprehensive. See the screen shot below to get an impression.
Support
Any remaining problems can be addressed with the support. The commercial license includes 8 hours of technical support, the non-commercial version 4 hours. This is usually more than sufficient, even if you use the software for sophisticated tasks.
You may, for example, send some portions of script code via e-mail and receive corrected code for doing certain things. RP Photonics also has very handy software for remote support, where you can give Dr. Paschotta access to your screen via the Internet and watch how he fixes problems on your PC.
It is good to know that support is always given by Dr. Paschotta himself, who has developed the software, is a distinguished expert in that technical area, and feels personally responsible to make sure that his customers can successfully use the software.
