NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Optical engineering

Optical engineering is the field of study which focuses on applications of optics. See also: List of optical topics Optics (appearance or look in ancient Greek) is a branch of physics that describes the behavior and properties of light and the interaction of light with matter. ...

Optical engineers design optical instruments such as microscopes, telescope and other equipment that utilises the properties of light, including optical sensors and measurement systems, as well as lasers, fiber optics communication systems, optical disc systems (e.g., CD,DVD),and many others. ... It has been suggested that microscopy be merged into this article or section. ... 50 cm refracting telescope at Nice Observatory. ... Prism splitting light Light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye (visible light) or, in a technical or scientific context, electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength. ... The range of sizes in which lasers exist is immense, extending from microscopic diode lasers (top) to football field sized neodymium glass lasers (bottom) used for inertial confinement fusion. ... Fiber Optic strands An optical fiber in American English or fibre in British English is a transparent thin fiber for transmitting light. ... In computing, sound reproduction, and video, an optical disc is flat, circular, usually polycarbonate disc whereon data is stored. ... CD may stand for: Compact Disc Canadian Forces Decoration Cash Dispenser (at least used in Japan) CD LPMud Driver Centrum-Demokraterne (Centre Democrats of Denmark) Certificate of Deposit ÄŒeskÃ© DrÃ¡hy (Czech Railways) Chad (NATO country code) Chalmers DatorfÃ¶rening (computer club of the Chalmers University of Technology) a 1960s... DVD-R writing/reading side DVD-R with purple dye, 4. ...

Since optical engineers want to design and build devices that make light do something useful, they must understand and apply the science of optics in substantial detail, in order to know what is physically possible to achieve. But they also must know what is practical in terms of available technology, materials, costs, design methods, etc. As with other fields of engineering, computers are important to many (perhaps most) optical engineers. They are used with instruments, for simulation, in design, and for many other applications. Engineers often use general computer tools such as spreadsheets and programming languages, and they also make frequent use of specialized software designed specifically for their field. A computer is a machine capable of undergoing complex calculations. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Computer code (HTML with JavaScript) in a tool that uses syntax highlighting (colors) to help the developer see the function of each piece of code. ...

Optical engineering metrology uses optical methods to measure micro-vibrations with instruments like the laser speckle interferometer or to measure the properties of the various masses with instruments measuring refraction. // Headline text This article refers to refraction in waves. ...