Fundamentals Of Optical Engineering

Description

Optics began with the development of lenses by the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians. The earliest known lenses were made from polished crystal, often quartz, and have been dated as early as 700 BC for Assyrian lenses such as the Layard/Nimrud lens. The ancient Romans and Greeks filled glass spheres with water to make lenses. These practical developments were followed by the development of theories of light and vision by ancient Greek and Indian philosophers, and the development of geometrical optics in the Greco-Roman world. The word optics comes from the ancient Greek word appearance or look.
During the Middle Ages, Greek ideas about optics were resurrected and extended by writers in the Muslim world. In 984 AD, the Persian mathematician Ibn Sahl wrote the treatise “On burning mirrors and lenses”, correctly describing a law of refraction equivalent to Snell’s law. Later in the 13th century, Roger Bacon used parts of glass spheres as magnifying glasses, and discovered that light reflects from objects rather than being released from them.
The present book deals with all the important dimensions of this subject. It is a valuable reference source as well as informative guide for all those concerned with developments in this field.