Tutorials
These tutorials explain the physics behind the calculations available on optical-calculation.com. Each one covers a single topic in optical engineering – geometrical optics, diffraction, interference, polarization, photometry and radiometry, laser, fiber optics, acousto-optics, detection and noise – and sets out the governing equations, the assumptions they rest on, and the range over which they remain valid.
They are written for optical engineers, physicists and students who need to understand a result rather than simply obtain one: why a formula takes the form it does, which approximation has been made, and when that approximation breaks down.
Select a topic below to read the full tutorial. Each tutorial can also be opened directly from the corresponding calculation page, so the theory stays available while a computation is being set up.
