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Rays and wavefronts. In optics, a ray is an idealized geometrical model of light or other electromagnetic radiation, obtained by choosing a curve that is perpendicular to the wavefronts of the actual light, and that points in the direction of energy flow. [1] [2] Rays are used to model the propagation of light through an optical system, by ...
Propagation of a ray through a layer. The transfer-matrix method is a method used in optics and acoustics to analyze the propagation of electromagnetic or acoustic waves through a stratified medium; a stack of thin films. [1] [2] This is, for example, relevant for the design of anti-reflective coatings and dielectric mirrors .
This relates the ray vectors at the input and output planes by the ray transfer matrix (RTM) M, which represents the optical component or system present between the two reference planes. A thermodynamics argument based on the blackbody radiation [ citation needed ] can be used to show that the determinant of a RTM is the ratio of the indices of ...
Radiative transfer. Radiative transfer (also called radiation transport) is the physical phenomenon of energy transfer in the form of electromagnetic radiation. The propagation of radiation through a medium is affected by absorption, emission, and scattering processes. The equation of radiative transfer describes these interactions mathematically.
Transmission line. Schematic of a wave moving rightward down a lossless two-wire transmission line. Black dots represent electrons, and the arrows show the electric field. One of the most common types of transmission line, coaxial cable. In electrical engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable or other structure designed to conduct ...
The transmission coefficient is a measure of how much of an electromagnetic wave ( light) passes through a surface or an optical element. Transmission coefficients can be calculated for either the amplitude or the intensity of the wave. Either is calculated by taking the ratio of the value after the surface or element to the value before.
Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy that can travel through space and matter. It includes visible light, radio waves, microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays. Learn more about the properties, sources, effects and applications of electromagnetic radiation from this Wikipedia article.
Absorption spectroscopy is spectroscopy that involves techniques that measure the absorption of electromagnetic radiation, as a function of frequency or wavelength, due to its interaction with a sample. The sample absorbs energy, i.e., photons, from the radiating field. The intensity of the absorption varies as a function of frequency, and this ...