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Rays and Caustics

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Caustics, Catastrophes and Wave Fields

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Wave Phenomena ((SSWAV,volume 15))

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Abstract

In this chapter we will briefly recapitulate the fundamentals of the ray optical method which requires an approximate description of the wave field on the basis of ray representations. Assigning a mathematical ray with the Fresnel volume converts it into a physical object. The concept of Fresnel’s volume yields a versatile criterion of applicability of the ray theory to be derived. It defines caustic zones as regions where rays cease to be physically distinctive. In the shadow region, ordinary geometrical optics gives way to its complex counterpart.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Science, Profsoyyznaya 84/32, 117810, Moscow, Russia

    Yu. A. Kravtsov

  2. Power Engineering Institute, Moscow, Russia

    Yu. I. Orlov

Authors
  1. Yu. A. Kravtsov
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  2. Yu. I. Orlov
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© 1999 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Kravtsov, Y.A., Orlov, Y.I. (1999). Rays and Caustics. In: Caustics, Catastrophes and Wave Fields. Springer Series on Wave Phenomena, vol 15. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59887-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59887-6_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-64167-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-59887-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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