In interferometry, what is the origin of the name “Airy function”?

Question

In interferometry (specifically, in the domain of Fabry-Perot cavities), the function $$f(\phi) = \frac{1}{1 + F \sin^2 \phi}$$ , which describes the shape of the resonant structure of the cavity, is often called the "Airy function" (for instance, in Wolfram Mathworld). However, it is obviously quite different from the special functions Ai(x) that usually go by that name.

This function resembles probability density function of the wrapped Cauchy distribution.

How did it get the name "Airy function"?

I've heard that Fabry and Perot gave it this name in one of their original papers (maybe this one? PDF, in French, which I can't read), in honor of (the same) George Biddell Airy who had earlier considered similar interferometers. It would be great if someone could help ferret out the first reference to that function by this name.

Answer 1

edit this is the wrong Airy function, answer is only kept for discussion

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According to the german wikipedia entry on Airy function (-> google translation), it is named after the british Astronomer George Biddell Airy.

update http://wordiq.com/definition/Airy_function cites Airy (1838). On the intensity of light in the neighbourhood of a caustic. Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, 6, 379—402., which may simply be the first publication with these functions thus justifying the naming, but I haven't read it and can only guess. I found it on the archive after some searching: http://www.archive.org/details/transactionsofca06camb (page 379 ff)