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Diagram showing a section through the centre of a cone (1) subtending a solid angle of 1 steradian in a sphere of radius r, along with the spherical "cap" (2). The external surface area A of the cap equals r2 only if solid angle of the cone is exactly 1 steradian. Hence, in this figure θ = A/2 and r = 1.
A pencil-beam radar A moving or sweeping pencil-beam radar. In optics, a pencil or pencil of rays, also known as a pencil beam or narrow beam, is a geometric construct (pencil of half-lines) used to describe a beam or portion of a beam of electromagnetic radiation or charged particles, typically in the form of a cone or cylinder.
sr is the unit, steradian, sr = rad 2. Because the surface area A of a sphere is 4πr 2, the definition implies that a sphere subtends 4π steradians (≈ 12.56637 sr) at its centre, or that a steradian subtends 1/4π ≈ 0.07958 of a sphere. By the same argument, the maximum solid angle that can be subtended at any point is 4π sr.
A light ray is a line or curve that is perpendicular to the light's wavefronts (and is therefore collinear with the wave vector). A slightly more rigorous definition of a light ray follows from Fermat's principle, which states that the path taken between two points by a ray of light is the path that can be traversed in the least time. [1]
The principal ray or chief ray (sometimes known as the b ray) in an optical system is the meridional ray that starts at an edge of an object and passes through the center of the aperture stop. [ 5 ] [ 8 ] [ 7 ] The distance between the chief ray (or an extension of it for a virtual image) and the optical axis at an image location defines the ...
Each such part is called a ray and the point A is called its initial point. It is also known as half-line (sometimes, a half-axis if it plays a distinct role, e.g., as part of a coordinate axis). It is a one-dimensional half-space. The point A is considered to be a member of the ray.
The ratio of this measured beam parameter product to that of the ideal is defined as M 2, so that M 2 =1 describes an ideal beam. The M 2 value of a beam is conserved when it is transformed by diffraction-limited optics. The outputs of many low and moderately powered lasers have M 2 values of 1.2 or less, and are essentially diffraction-limited.
Hyperboloid of one sheet. Solid geometry or stereometry is the geometry of three-dimensional Euclidean space (3D space). [1] A solid figure is the region of 3D space bounded by a two-dimensional closed surface; for example, a solid ball consists of a sphere and its interior.