Abstract
The k function is the arbitrary function that arises in the general solution of the eikonal equation, a nonlinear, first-order partial differential equation, and describes completely the geometrical properties of a wave-front train and the associated caustic in a homogeneous, isotropic optical medium. The archetypal wave front in such a train is that unique wave front whose optical path length from the ultimate object point is zero. As an example, the k function of a wave-front train resulting from a plane wave front incident upon a spherical refracting surface is calculated. From it the archetype and the caustic are obtained. The results agree exactly with ray-trace data.
© 1995 Optical Society of America
Full Article | PDF ArticleMore Like This
Orestes N. Stavroudis
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 12(8) 1805-1811 (1995)
David L. Shealy and John A. Hoffnagle
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 25(9) 2370-2382 (2008)
Edwin Román-Hernández, José Guadalupe Santiago-Santiago, Gilberto Silva-Ortigoza, and Ramón Silva-Ortigoza
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 26(11) 2295-2305 (2009)