Optical path
Optical path (OP) is the trajectory that a light ray follows as it propagates through an optical medium. The geometrical optical-path length or simply geometrical path length (GPD) is the length of a segment in a given OP, i.e., the Euclidean distance integrated along a ray between any two points. The mechanical length of an optical device can be reduced to less than the GPD by using folded optics. The optical path length in a homogeneous medium is the GPD multiplied by the refractive index of the medium.
01Factors affecting optical path
Path of light in medium, or between two media is affected by the following:
02Simple materials used
- Lenses
- Prisms
- Mirrors
- Transparent materials (e.g. optical filters)
- Translucent materials (e.g. frosted glass)
- Opaque materials
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Optical path”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Mirau Interferometer.svg by Dr. Schorsch, CC BY-SA 3.0
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