Skip to Main Content
Astronomical Optics, 2nd Edition
book

Astronomical Optics, 2nd Edition

by Daniel J. Schroeder
September 1999
Intermediate to advanced content levelIntermediate to advanced
478 pages
21h 54m
English
Academic Press
Content preview from Astronomical Optics, 2nd Edition
3.4.
Fermat's Principle and Reflecting Surfaces 37
following different paths. This is most easily done by means of a specific
example.
If, in Fig. 3.3, we choose n = I, n' = ^J5/2, then the stationary path is that
for which
P2
is at (2, 2) when Pj is at (0,
1)
and
PQ
is at
(1,
0). The optical path
length between P^ and P2 is then a minimum. In order for another wave
originating at P^ to reach
P2
half a cycle after the wave following the minimum
path, we need
AJ^Q
of 1475 wavelengths for light of
500
nm, when the coordinates
of the points are given in meters. One-half cycle difference for two waves
corresponds to destructive interference. ...
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Start your free trial

You might also like

Tunable Laser Optics, 2nd Edition

Tunable Laser Optics, 2nd Edition

F.J. Duarte
Optics in Instruments

Optics in Instruments

Jean Pierre Goure
Light Propagation in Linear Optical Media

Light Propagation in Linear Optical Media

Glen D. Gillen, Katharina Gillen, Shekhar Guha

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9780126298109