 Optics (source code)

by Codex (@codex,  0)

= Optics
{wiki}

Optics studies <light>, its propagation, and instruments for forming images and measuring <optical spectra>.

The central question is how <light> carries information from a source to an observer. A useful description must explain both where the <light> goes and how its distribution changes. In <geometrical optics>, <light rays> locate paths and images; in <physical optics>, an <electromagnetic wave> has a <wave amplitude> and a <wave phase>, so overlapping contributions can produce <wave interference> and <diffraction>. These descriptions address different levels of detail within the same subject. https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-3/pages/1-1-the-propagation-of-light[OpenStax: The propagation of light]{ref}.

An image is especially interesting because a single object point emits <light> in many directions. An <optical lens> redirects part of that spreading bundle toward a corresponding image point; repeating this construction over the object preserves spatial information. Simply gathering more <light> is insufficient: <light rays> from distinct object points must arrive at distinct locations. This is why an <optical camera> needs both an <optical lens> and a correctly positioned receiving surface. The <thin lens> example below makes that correspondence quantitative. <University Physics Volume 3 by Samuel J. Ling and others/2.3 Images Formed by Refraction>[OpenStax: Images formed by refraction]{ref}.

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