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L3-11. Optical Board - Concave Spherical Mirror

Purpose

To illustrate reflection from a concave spherical mirror.

Equipment

Optical board with spherical concave mirror, cpncave and convex lenses.

Images

l3-11

Description

A series of parallel rays are formed using a slit baffle and with concave and convex lenses. These rays are incident onto a concave spherical mirror, which focuses them to a point with some spherical aberration, as can be seen in t he photograph. Number and spacing of rays are adjustable by choice of baffle and position of baffle. A baffle with sets of rays of different color can be used to draw attention to the different aberration of different sets of rays.

References

H. W. Farwell, The Optical Surfaces of Descartes and Huygens, AJP 9, 255-263 (1941). ◙G. F. Herrenden-Harker, Caustics by Reflection in a Concave Spherical Reflectting Surface, AJP 16, 272-284 (1948). ◙Allen Newell and Albert V. Baez, Caustic Curves by Geometric Construction, AJP 17, 145-147 (1949). ◙Alex J. Dragt, Lie Albegraic Theory of Geometrical Optics and Optical Aberrations, Journal of the Optical Society of America 72,◙372-379. ◙Grovindan Rangarajan, Spherical Aberration and its Correction Using Ray Tracing and Lie Algebraic Methods. (Manuscript). ◙Diagram of Optical Experiments, Ealin