ABCD law for Gaussian beams ($q^{\prime }=(Aq+B)/(Cq+D)$)

A real paraxial ray matrix transforms a Gaussian beam parameter by the displayed fractional-linear map. For a lossless round trip with determinant one, a fixed point with positive imaginary part generically requires $|A+D|<2$. Scalar matrices $\pm I$ are degenerate exceptions: their fractional-linear map fixes every physical beam parameter even at the boundary. Finite apertures and resonance phases impose additional physical constraints.