Catadioptric systemA catadioptric optical system is one where refraction and reflection are combined in an optical system, usually via lenses (dioptrics) and curved mirrors (catoptrics). Catadioptric combinations are used in focusing systems such as searchlights, headlamps, early lighthouse focusing systems, optical telescopes, microscopes, and telephotolenses. Other optical systems that use lenses and mirrors are also referred to as "catadioptric", such as surveillancecatadioptric sensors.
Total internal reflectionIn physics, total internal reflection (TIR) is the phenomenon in which waves arriving at the interface (boundary) from one medium to another (e.g., from water to air) are not refracted into the second ("external") medium, but completely reflected back into the first ("internal") medium. It occurs when the second medium has a higher wave speed (i.e., lower refractive index) than the first, and the waves are incident at a sufficiently oblique angle on the interface.Prism (optics)An optical prism is a transparent optical element with flat, polished surfaces that are designed to refractlight. At least one surface must be angled—elements with only two parallel surfaces are windows, not prisms. The most familiar type of optical prism is the triangular prism, which has a triangular base and rectangular sides. Not all optical prisms are geometric prisms, and not all geometric prisms would count as an optical prism.
Augustin-Jean FresnelAugustin-Jean Fresnel (10 May 1788 – 14 July 1827) was a French civil engineer and physicist whose research in optics led to the almost unanimous acceptance of the wave theory of light, fully supplanting Newton's corpuscular theory, from the late 1830s until the end of the 19th century.
RefractionIn physics, refraction is the redirection of a wave as it passes from one medium to another. The redirection can be caused by the wave's change in speed or by a change in the medium. Refraction of light is the most commonly observed phenomenon, but other waves such as sound waves and water waves also experience refraction.Transverse waveIn physics, a transverse wave is a wave that oscillates perpendicularly to the direction of the wave's advance. In contrast, a longitudinal wave travels in the direction of its oscillations. All waves move energy from place to place without transporting the matter in the transmission medium if there is one. Electromagnetic waves are transverse without requiring a medium.
LighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mark dangerous coastlines, hazardous shoals, reefs, rocks, and safe entries to harbors; they also assist in aerial navigation.DioptricsDioptrics is the branch of optics dealing with refraction, especially by lenses. In contrast, the branch dealing with mirrors is known as catoptrics. Telescopes that create their image with an objective that is a convex lens (refractors) are said to be "dioptric" telescopes. An early study of dioptrics was conducted by Ptolemy in relation to the human eye as well as refraction in media such as water.
ApertureIn optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. The aperture defines a set of rays from each point on an object that will come to a focus in the image plane. This set of rays, sometimes called a bundle of rays or cone of rays, is mathematically a generalized cone (or a bundle of half-lines).Focal lengthThe focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light; it has units of length, and for an idealized thin lens is equal to the distance between the lens and its focal points. A positive focal length indicates that a system converges light, while a negative focal length indicates that the system diverges light.
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de BuffonGeorges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (French: [ʒɔʁʒ lwi ləklɛʁ kɔ̃t də byfɔ̃]; 7 September 1707 – 16 April 1788) was a French naturalist, mathematician, and cosmologist. He held the position of intendant (director) at the Jardin du Roi. Buffon's works influenced the next two generations of naturalists, including two prominent French scientists Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Georges Cuvier.
LensOptical device which transmits and refracts lightA burning apparatus consisting of two biconvex lensesA lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (elements), usually arranged along a common axis.
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