Construct · 1 fields · 1 citations

caustic: a standalone construct

One name. One construct. A landmark on the map.

● anchor · a standalone construct Nearest construct by meaning·not indexed
caustic1 CONSTRUCTOptical causticBERRY & UPSTILL · 1980

A single standalone construct; nearby constructs are located against it in the Collider. Tap a field for its definition, unit, and measures.

Optics

The bright envelope where reflected rays pile up

In optics, a caustic is the bright curve or surface onto which a family of light rays is focused after reflection or refraction, the envelope where ray density, and so intensity, becomes very high, such as the cardioid of light in a coffee cup or the dancing net at the bottom of a pool. Berry and Upstill's 1980 Catastrophe optics: morphologies of caustics and their diffraction patterns classified caustics using catastrophe theory and described the fine diffraction structure that dresses them. The referent is a geometric concentration of light energy, measured by its shape and intensity, and it is unrelated to a corrosive chemical beyond the root meaning of something intense or burning.[1]

Unit
The location and shape of the envelope where ray intensity concentrates
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Mapped as the envelope of a ray family and classified by catastrophe type, with intensity set by ray density and diffraction

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Nearby constructs

action3 fields · 6 citationsjingle · one word, three constructsAiry4 fields · 4 citationsjingle · one name, four constructs

References

  1. Berry, M. V., & Upstill, C. (1980). Catastrophe optics: Morphologies of caustics and their diffraction patterns. Progress in Optics, 18, 257–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6638(08)70215-4

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