Physical Optics: An Introduction

Physical optics is a specialized branch of optics that examines optical phenomena such as polarization, interference, diffraction, dispersion, and scattering, which are processes that cannot be fully described by the approximations of geometric optics. Central to physical optics is the wave nature of light, where light is characterized as an electromagnetic wave. The interaction of light with materials requires the modeling of both its electric and magnetic field components. For complex systems where analytical solutions for light propagation are unattainable, numerical modeling techniques such as the boundary element method, finite element method, and transmission-line matrix method are employed. This book presents the complex subject of physical optics in the most comprehensible and easy to understand language. It provides comprehensive insights into this field. This book is an essential guide for both academicians and those who wish to pursue this discipline further.