Product Description
The world’s insatiable consumption of energy must be met with new technologies that offer alternative, environmentally conscious sources of light and power. The relatively young field of nonimaging optics is an ideal tool for designing optimized solar energy collectors and illumination optics and holds great promise in the development of solid state lighting applications. Introduction to Nonimaging Optics provides the first entry-level resource on this r… More >>
Introduction to Nonimaging Optics
Tags: consumption, illumination, lighting applications, nonimaging optics, solar energy collectors, solid state lighting, sources of light
#1 by Brian DeLacey on June 29, 2010 - 1:51 pm
I was looking for information on how light is reflected by different shapes and surfaces. “Introduction to nonimaging optics” by Julio Chaves provided all that and more as an up-to-date compendium of the most authoritative research in this relatively new/emerging field.
This book provides an exhaustive theoretical exploration of “nonimaging” systems (ie. where there is no object image formed, but there is merely a source of light, an optic to bounce around the light, and a receiver.)
It is difficult to visualize how invisible light bounces around differently configured systems. The book does a remarkably good job depicting many examples of how this happens. The book uses many nicely drawn diagrams and visualizations.
The first section of the book is described as covering main concepts and designs. This is relatively easy reading at a level of high school or entry-level college physics. The second section of the book delves deeper into rays, waves and the appearance of integrals and equations is evident. The second section of the book is a challenging read as it takes the reader well beyond an introduction.
For me, it would be of great practical benefit to see more real world images as well – perhaps photos of systems utilizing these techniques.
I was looking to use mirrors for reflecting and concentrating light in solar energy systems. For my interests, this book provided answers and invaluable assistance in seeing how light bounces around optic systems.
Rating: 4 / 5