This book is intended to convey an overall understanding of opti
cal pathways. It sheds light on the background of light parti cles
(electromagneti c waves, photons), from their origin, their path
to the opti cs, their conditi oning by the opti cs, up to a sensor system.
One focus is on the transiti on to opti cally refracti ve material.
It conveys an understanding what exactly is happening as
refracti on, diff racti on, polarizati on, refl ecti on, and absorpti on.
Easily comprehensible opti cal path calculati ons and the esti mati
on of image quality follow. Moreover, opti cal coati ngs and their
eff ects are discussed.
Various opti cal systems, their functi oning, and how they can be
modifi ed and combined to achieve specifi c customer soluti ons
are introduced.
Catalogue opti cs occupies an important part of the book. It
shows how to select opti cal systems and how to build them
with prefabricated elements. This aspect is important, because
catalogue opti cs is relati vely economical and in general quickly
available. Many applicati ons can be implemented this way
without the need for expensive, custom-made opti cs.
This book is writt en primarily for mechanical engineers, electrical
engineers, and similar professional groups. It is intended to
assist the engineer or technician who is involved in some way
with opti cs, but defi nitely also the interested craft sman who
simply wants to skip the formulas someti mes and deepen his
understanding of optics.
