gaussian beam in non sequential mode

Hi, Sandrine.

Since you wrote this mentioning and “updated version of this source that has not been published yet”

[ GaussianSource.dll ],

has the GaussianSource Source DLL been updated, and/or included in more recent releases of OpticStudio?

Whether it has been published or not, what is the substance of the changes/updates that we can expect?

-- Greg

Hi, Sandrine.  Thanks!

Yes, of course I knew of the new “AstigmaticGaussian.dll” kindly contributed by Dirk Broemme of Coherent.

I commented on it in that Community thread that you point to (Code Exchange).

As I understand, AstigmaticGaussian.dll is presently only available by downloading the .zar file (available through the Code Exchange) to get it loaded into the [path]>DLL>Sources folder so it can be used in NSC.

Your post above made we wonder whether there is a new version of  “SourceGaussian.dll” (a “built-in” DLL), having new features, that is included in the release of OpticStudio and thus automatically copied into the DLL>Sources folder.

But I see you are talking about AstigmaticGaussian.dll, which I will start using as my preferred DLL for this purpose.

• Do you plan to include this DLL (AstigmaticGaussian.dll) as a “built-in” in future releases of OpticStudio? Does it appear already in the very latest release? (I haven’t downloaded and installed 23.3.2 yet, which just appeared this morning.)

If so, I would suggest “deprecating” GaussianSource.dll in some way, e.g. by suggesting in the User Manual and Help files that AstigmaticGaussian.dll be used for new models.  I know GaussianSource.dll probably needs to be maintained for compatibility with older versions and users who have built it into their models.  But the proliferation of NSC Gaussian-capable sources is getting confusing. Some support M^2 (but only for circular beams), some elliptical beams (but not M^2), and some astigmatism.  Only AstigmaticGaussian.dll supports elliptical beams with general astigmatism and separate M^2 parameters for X and Y.

[The only thing we don’t have yet, but for which I have never had a need, is a source that launches astigmatic Gaussian beams with a “twist” like occurs propagating through a rotated anamorphic optic.]

Currently, there are Source Gaussian and Source Diode, which are NSC Source Objects, but not DLLs;

GaussianSource.dll (and now AstigmaticGaussian.dll from users);

and versions implementing skew rays like “built-in DLL” SkewRaysCircular.dll and others available from users like David Nguyen and Paul Colbourne.

If I come up with a good table characterizing the choices, I can share it later.

-- Greg