Published March 2007 | Version v1
Journal article

Complementary Huygens principle for geometrical and nongeometrical optics

Creators

  • 1. Departamento de Optica, Facultad de Ciencias Fisicas, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

Description

We develop a fundamental principle depicting the generalized ray formulation of optics provided by the Wigner function. This principle is formally identical to the Huygens-Fresnel principle but in terms of opposite concepts, rays instead of waves, and incoherent superpositions instead of coherent ones. This ray picture naturally includes diffraction and interference, and provides a geometrical picture of the degree of coherence

Additional details

Identifiers

DOI
10.1088/0143-0807/28/2/008;
PII
S0143-0807(07)36939-0;

Publishing Information

Journal Title
European Journal of Physics
Journal Volume
28
Journal Issue
2
Journal Page Range
p. 231-240
ISSN
0143-0807
CODEN
EJPHD4

INIS

Country of Publication
United Kingdom
Country of Input or Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
INIS RN
38075183
Subject category
S71: CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS;
Descriptors DEI
DIFFRACTION; FUNCTIONS; HUYGENS PRINCIPLE; INTERFERENCE; OPTICS
Descriptors DEC
COHERENT SCATTERING; SCATTERING