title: Measurement of Gaussian laser beam radius using the knife-edge technique: improvement on data analysis.
abstract: We revisited the well known Khosrofian and Garetz inversion algorithm [Appl. Opt.22, 3406-3410 (1983)] that was developed to analyze data obtained by the application of the traveling knife-edge technique. We have analyzed the approximated fitting function that was used for adjusting their experimental data and have found that it is not optimized to work with a full range of the experimentally-measured data. We have numerically calculated a new set of coefficients, which makes the approximated function suitable for a full experimental range, considerably improving the accuracy of the measurement of a radius of a focused Gaussian laser beam.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa 58051-970, Paraíba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos A C
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: de Araújo
authors.forename: Rubens
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Emerson
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Lima
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Paulo C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: de Oliveira