Imaging Definitions

doi:10.1117/3.2506310.ch3

Imaging Definitions

Book: Geometrical Optics: Lectures in Optics, Volume 2

Author(s): George Asimellis

Published: 2020

https://doi.org/10.1117/3.2506310.ch3

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Abstract

Imaging, the most important aspect of geometrical optics, involves the concepts of the object and the image. An object can be any entity that either emits light (in which case it is also called a source) or reflects light. Practically, anything can be an object. From every point of the object, we may assume an infinite number of rays propagating in all directions. The simplest object is a point object, an object that occupies no volume and has no surface area. This is an idealistic concept, of course. A realistic object is an extended object that may be considered as consisting of an infinite number of adjoining point objects.