New approach to resonators with one-dimensional dispersion

A new conceptual approach is proposed to resonators with one-dimensional dispersion. Such resonators contain diffraction gratings and prisms, and are used extensively in quantum electronics to control the spectral parameters of laser radiation. The approach is based on a consistent allowance for the differences between the optical and effective lengths of a real resonator. This makes it possible to explain phenomenologically the original mechanism of spatial and spectral selection of laser radiation, and to provide a quantitative interpretation of the experimental results that have hitherto been unexplained.