Physical optics

thumb|A ray of light being refracted in a plastic block In 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. How much a wave is refracted is determined by the change in wave speed and the initial direction of wave propagation relative to the direction of change in speed.

change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between two different media so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated

property of waves that can oscillate with more than one orientation

physical phenomenon

principle of least time

thumb|Different apertures of a lens thumb|In biology, the pupil (appearing as a black hole) of the eye is its aperture and the iris is its diaphragm. In humans, the pupil can constrict to as small as 2 mm (8.3) and dilate to larger than 8 mm (2.1) in some individuals. thumb|A camera aperture thumb|Definitions of Aperture in the 1707 Glossographia Anglicana Nova thumb|Aperture icon

branch of optics that studies interference, diffraction, polarization

angle of incidence for which all reflected light will be polarized

special function defined by an integral

equations of light transmission and reflection

far-field diffraction

field of radiation (e.g. electromagnetic wave) whose amplitude is described by the Gaussian function

term

diffraction pattern in optics

measure of wave reflectivity

difference between phase angles

study of classical optics using Fourier transforms

path taken by light in traversing a system

coefficient describing the amplitude, intensity, or total power of a transmitted wave relative to an incident wave

concept in optical lens design

distance over which a propagating wave maintains a certain degree of coherence

optical phenomenon

the time over which a propagating wave (especially a laser or maser beam) may be considered coherent

aspect of crystal optics

Optical prism

Physics formula

optical setup to obtain interference pattern by reflection

in signal transmission

any thin, repetitive surface designed to reflect, transmit or absorb electromagnetic fields based on the frequency of the field

Process used in optics and acoustics

Method to solve scalar wave equation