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Geometrical optics reloaded |
F. Wyrowski1, C. Hellmann2
1 Applied Computational Optics Group, Friedrich Schiller University Jena; 2 Wyrowski Photonics UG
frank.wyrowski@uni-jena.de |
Geometrical and wave optics are commonly considered as opposite poles in optical modeling. Historically light representation by rays versus complex amplitudes is closely connected to the use of geometrical optics versus diffraction integrals for light propagation. We like to discuss geometrical optics from a more general point of view, which in fact was already suggested by Born and Wolf in 1959 in Principles of Optics. We follow them and understand geometrical optics as an approximate solution of Maxwell‘s equations. By this application of geometrical optics to electromagnetic fields instead of rays, it becomes obvious that geometrical optics can model interference, partial coherence and polarization effects to a large extent, but excludes diffraction effects. Geometrical optics for electromagnetic fields is a fast modeling technique and can be nicely combined with other solutions of Maxwell‘s equations, rigorous and approximate ones, in order to provide a unified modeling concept for optical systems, which we refer to as field tracing. We discuss the concept through the example of freeform surface and scattering modeling for coherent and partially coherent light. |
Keywords:
Theoretical Foundations, Coherence, Optical Systems |
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