The resonant modes of optic interferometer cavities are investigated in the angular spectrum domain. The investigation is based on an integral equation (governing the relation between the normal modes and cavity geometry) which is derived by using the self-consistent Rayleigh formulation for solving diffraction problems. For plane-parallel cavities this integral equation can be solved by means of a series expansion of orthogonal functions characteristic of the cavity geometry without making any assumption about the relative magnitudes of end reflector dimensions and separation. The solution also provides, in addition to a comparison with the solutions of the approximated Huygens’ integral equation as found by other investigators, a direct way for obtaining the angular plane-wave spectrum (or the radiation pattern) of the beam emerging from the cavity. The particular cases of plane-parallel cavities with infinite-strip and circular end reflectors are considered in this paper.

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