Grating and prism compressors in the case of finite beam size

The grating and prism compressors are studied for the case of finite beam size by using the Kirchhoff–Fresnel integral and an amplitude transfer operator for the grating and prism. The results show that, even for well-collimated beams, pulse broadening may occur (mainly because of the wavelength dependence of the lateral walk-off). Methods to avoid the different types of distortions appearing in these systems are discussed.