In 1690, Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) published Traité de la Lumière, containing his renowned wave theory of light. It is considered a landmark in seventeenth-century science, for the way Huygens mathematized the corpuscular nature of light and his probabilistic conception of natural knowledge. This book discusses the development of Huygens' wave theory, reconstructing the winding road that eventually led to Traité de la Lumière. For the first time, the full range of manuscript sources is taken into account. In addition, the development of Huygens' thinking on the nature of light is put in the context of his optics as a whole, which was dominated by his lifelong pursuit of theoretical and practical dioptrics. In so doing, this book offers the first account of the development of Huygens' mathematical analysis of lenses and telescopes and its significance for the origin of the wave theory of light. As Huygens applied his mathematical proficiency to practical issues pertaining to telescopes – including trying to design a perfect telescope by means of mathematical theory – his dioptrics is significant for our understanding of seventeenth-century relations between theory and practice. With this full account of Huygens' optics, this book sheds new light on the history of seventeenth-century optics and the rise of the new mathematical sciences, as well as Huygens' oeuvre as a whole. Students of the history of optics, of early mathematical physics, and the Scientific Revolution, will find this book enlightening.

This book gives a detailed description of lens behaviour in real optical systems.

Using numerous mathematical and numerical techniques of diffraction theory, Waves in Focal Regions: Propagation, Diffraction and Focusing of Light, Sound and Water Waves provides a full and richly illustrated description of waves in focal regions. Unlike most books, the author treats electromagnetic, acoustic, and water waves in one comprehensive volume. After an introductory section, the book describes approximate diffraction theories and efficient numerical methods to study the focusing of various kinds of waves. It then covers the physical interpretation of the theories, their accuracy, and the computational savings obtained, emphasizing uniform asymptotic results that remain valid in the vicinity of shadow boundaries and caustics. The next part deals with the focusing of scalar waves, including thorough theoretical analyses and detailed contour maps of diffraction patterns in focal regions for a variety of different system parameters, such as f-number, Frensel number, aperture shape, amplitude distribution, and wavefront aberration. The author proceeds to explore the diffraction and focusing of electromagnetic waves. First solutions are derived for fields radiated by sources, reflected and refracted at plane interfaces, or diffracted by apertures in plane screens, and then these solutions are applied to study the focusing in homogeneous media and through a plane dielectric interface. In both cases, the author includes many computed results of the electromagnetic field distribution near focus. Presenting both theoretical and experimental results, the following part examines the focusing of sound and water waves by means of zone-plate lenses. The book concludes with a detailed study of the diffraction and focusing of water waves and a comparison of the results of both linear and nonlinear theories with those of experiments.

Diffractional Optics of Millimetre Waves combines those elements of diffraction theory normally associated with optics, including Gaussian beams, lenses, and mirrors, and extends them into the micro- and millimetre wavelength range. In this regime there are a number of applications in devices, such as automobile proximity sensors, satellite-TV receiving antennae, and non-destructive testing systems. Researchers working in these areas would benefit from greater understanding of the diffraction phenomena involved. A translated and updated version of the authors' book Diffraction Quasioptics, this book will present results formerly unavailable in the general literature.

University Physics is a three-volume collection that meets the scope and sequence requirements for two- and three-semester calculus-based physics courses. Volume 1 covers mechanics, sound, oscillations, and waves. Volume 2 covers thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, and Volume 3 covers optics and modern physics. This textbook emphasizes connections between between theory and application, making physics concepts interesting and accessible to students while maintaining the mathematical rigor inherent in the subject. Frequent, strong examples focus on how to approach a problem, how to work with the equations, and how to check and generalize the result. The text and images in this textbook are grayscale.

Numerical Simulation of Optical Wave Propagation is solely dedicated to wave-optics simulations. The book discusses digital Fourier transforms (FT), FT-based operations, multiple methods of wave-optics simulations, sampling requirements, and simulations in atmospheric turbulence.

APlusPhysics: Your Guide to Regents Physics Essentials is a clear and concise roadmap to the entire New York State Regents Physics curriculum, preparing students for success in their high school physics class as well as review for high marks on the Regents Physics Exam. Topics covered include pre-requisite math and trigonometry; kinematics; forces; Newton's Laws of Motion, circular motion and gravity; impulse and momentum; work, energy, and power; electrostatics; electric circuits; magnetism; waves; optics; and modern physics. Featuring more than five hundred questions from past Regents exams with worked out solutions and detailed illustrations, this book is integrated with the APlusPhysics.com website, which includes online question and answer forums, videos, animations, and supplemental problems to help you master Regents Physics essentials. "The best physics books are the ones kids will actually read." Advance Praise for APlusPhysics Regents Physics Essentials: "Very well written... simple, clear engaging and accessible. You hit a grand slam with this review book." -- Anthony, NY Regents Physics Teacher. "Does a great job giving students what they need to know. The value provided is amazing." -- Tom, NY Regents Physics Teacher. "This was tremendous preparation for my physics test. I love the detailed problem solutions." -- Jenny, NY Regents Physics Student. "Regents Physics Essentials has all the information you could ever need and is much easier to understand than many other textbooks... it is an excellent review tool and is truly written for students." -- Cat, NY Regents Physics Student