Field Guide to Physical Optics

This Field Guide provides a concise overview of physical optics for easy reference, with a focus on information applicable to the field of optical engineering. Within this Field Guide, you will find formulae and descriptions of electromagnetic wave phenomena that are fundamental to the wave theory of light.

Author Dan Smith has included tools central to describing polarization, interference, and diffraction. Emphasis is placed on scalar diffraction and imaging theory, which are essential in solving most practical optical engineering problems.