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A Fresnel lens ( / ˈfreɪnɛl, - nəl / FRAY-nel, -nəl; / ˈfrɛnɛl, - əl / FREN-el, -əl; or / freɪˈnɛl / fray-NEL[ 1]) is a type of composite compact lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections.
Light being refracted by a spherical glass container full of water. Roger Bacon, 13th century. Lens for LSST, a planned sky surveying telescope. The word lens comes from lēns, the Latin name of the lentil (a seed of a lentil plant), because a double-convex lens is lentil-shaped. The lentil also gives its name to a geometric figure.
Fresnel equations. Partial transmission and reflection of a pulse travelling from a low to a high refractive index medium. At near-grazing incidence, media interfaces appear mirror-like especially due to reflection of the s polarization, despite being poor reflectors at normal incidence. Polarized sunglasses block the s polarization, greatly ...
A magnifying glass is a convex lens that is used to produce a magnified image of an object. The lens is usually mounted in a frame with a handle. Beyond its primary function of magnification, this simple yet ingenious tool serves a variety of purposes. It can be employed to focus sunlight, harnessing the Sun's rays to create a concentrated hot ...
Fresnel diffraction. In optics, the Fresnel diffraction equation for near-field diffraction is an approximation of the Kirchhoff–Fresnel diffraction that can be applied to the propagation of waves in the near field. [ 1] It is used to calculate the diffraction pattern created by waves passing through an aperture or around an object, when ...
A Fresnel lens can also capture more oblique light from a light source, thus allowing the light from a lighthouse equipped with one to be visible over greater distances. The first Fresnel lens was used in 1823 in the Cordouan lighthouse at the mouth of the Gironde estuary ; its light could be seen from more than 20 miles (32 km) out. [ 18 ]
The Fresnel number is a useful concept in physical optics. The Fresnel number establishes a coarse criterion to define the near and far field approximations. Essentially, if Fresnel number is small – less than roughly 1 – the beam is said to be in the far field. If Fresnel number is larger than 1, the beam is said to be near field.
A catadioptric optical system is one where refraction and reflection are combined in an optical system, usually via lenses ( dioptrics) and curved mirrors ( catoptrics ). Catadioptric combinations are used in focusing systems such as searchlights, headlamps, early lighthouse focusing systems, optical telescopes, microscopes, and telephoto ...