Polygonal optical cavities.

A general class of multifacet optical resonators that have uniform polygonal geometries is described. Expressions for the transmission of light through classical refractive escape from the cavities are presented. The conventional Fabry-Perot resonator is shown to be a special case of this general class of cavities. The effects of absorption and scattering of optical radiation on the transmission properties and cavity-quality factors are analyzed. These resonator structures have significant applications in a wide variety of optical devices.