Physical optics

About: Physical optics is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 5342 publications have been published within this topic receiving 101388 citations. The topic is also known as: wave optics.

Can two planar sources with the same sets of Stokes parameters generate beams with different degrees of polarization

Abstract: It is shown that two stochastic electromagnetic beams that propagate from the source plane z=0 into the half-space z>0 may have different degrees of polarization throughout the half-space, even though they have the same sets of Stokes parameters in the source plane. This fact is due to a possible difference in the coherence properties of the field in that plane, but other reasons are also possible. The result is illustrated by an example.

Wave-optics applications in charged-particle-beam transport

Abstract: An overview of electron wave-optics applications to charged-particle-beam transport is presented in the context of the thermal wave model (TWM). The quantization of the electron optics is presented both in the configuration space and in the phase space. The former provides a description in terms of the Schrodinger-like equation for a complex function whose squared modulus is proportional to the transverse density profile. The latter provides a phase-space description in terms of a von Neumann-type equation for a sort of Wigner function. The main results concerning the Gaussian electron optics, including the theory of coherent states for charged-particlle beams and the beam transport through optical devices with multipole aberrations, such as sextupoles and octupoles, are reviewed within the above wave-like framework. In particular, some investigations concerning luminosity estimates in linear colliders as well as comparisons between the TWM results and the standard tracking simulations, recently discussed in the literature, are summarized. Finally, a fresh tomographic technique to study the beam transport in both the classical-like and quantum-like domains in terms of a marginal distribution, fully similar to the one used in quantum optics, is reviewed. In particular, a comparison between the beam Wigner function and the beam marginal distribution is presented.

A UTD type analysis of the plane wave scattering by a fully illuminated perfectly conducting cone

Abstract: A uniform high-frequency asymptotic solution, based on the physical optics (PO) approximation, is obtained in the format of the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD) to describe the fields diffracted by the tip of a semi-infinite, perfectly conducting cone when it is fully illuminated by an electromagnetic plane wave. The solution is expressed in terms of an integral, over finite limits which can be integrated numerically without difficulty. The results computed from the uniform asymptotic PO solution compare well with previously published results given for narrow-angle semi-infinite cones. In addition, they compare well with measurement and with an independent moment method (MM) solution for the scattering by a finite flat-backed cone in which several higher order wave interactions are found to be significant; one such interaction is between the tip and the base of the cone. Expressions are provided which are useful for calculating this tip-base interaction and confirm its relative importance. These expressions also provide tip diffraction effects which are important within the forward paraxial zone for the radiation by antennas on cones. >

Using angular dispersion and anomalous transmission to shape ultramonochromatic x rays

Abstract: Optical spectrometers, instruments that work with highly monochromatic light, are commonly rated by the spectral bandwidth, which defines the ability to resolve closely spaced spectral components. Another equally important feature is the spectral contrast, the ability to detect faint objects among these components. Here we demonstrate that a combined effect of angular dispersion (AD) and anomalous transmission (AT) of x rays in Bragg reflection from asymmetrically cut crystals can shape spectral distributions of x rays to profiles with high contrast and small bandwidths. The AD and AT x-ray optics is implemented as a five-reflection, three-crystal arrangement featuring a combination of the above-mentioned attributes so desirable for x-ray monochromators and analyzers: a spectral contrast of {approx_equal} 500, a bandwidth of {approx_equal} 0.46 meV, and a remarkably large angular acceptance of {approx_equal} 107 {mu}rad with 9.1 keV x rays. The new optics can become a foundation for the next-generation inelastic x-ray scattering spectrometers for studies of atomic dynamics.

Scattering of low coherence radiation and applications

Abstract: In an effort to understand complex scattering phenomena, characteristics of optical waves such as polarization, angular spectrum, and temporal coherence have been extensively studied. In this article we will review several applications where the coherence properties of broad-band radiation offer unique sensing and diagnostic capabilities.