Construct · 2 fields · 2 citations

collimation: one construct, many systems

One name. One construct. Different systems. One map.

● invariant · one construct, two systems Nearest construct by meaning·not indexed
the parallel-beam construct, transposed to astrophysical jetscollimation2 SYSTEMSCollimated lightPARALLEL RAYSJet collimationJETS · NARROW BEAM

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1976Collimated light1982Jet collimation
2026

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Optics

Light made into a parallel, non-diverging beam

In optics, collimation is the process of making a beam's rays parallel, so that the beam neither converges nor spreads appreciably with distance: a point source placed at the focal point of a lens or mirror emerges collimated. Jenkins and White's Fundamentals of optics treats the geometry; in practice perfect collimation is limited by the finite source size and by diffraction. The referent is a beam held to near-parallel propagation, and the key quantity is how little it diverges.[1]

Unit
The residual divergence (angular spread) of the beam
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Assessed by the beam-divergence angle or by wavefront flatness, e.g. with a shearing interferometer

Astrophysics

An outflow confined into a narrow, directed beam

In astrophysics, collimation is the confinement of an outflow (a protostellar or active-galactic-nucleus jet) into a narrow, nearly parallel beam that stays focused over distances vast compared with its width. Blandford and Payne's 1982 Hydromagnetic flows from accretion discs and the production of radio jets showed how magnetic forces anchored in the accretion disc can launch and collimate such jets. It is the same parallel-beam construct as collimated light, here realised in a magnetised plasma outflow and measured by the jet's opening angle.[2]

Unit
The jet opening angle (degree of beam confinement)
Recovery means
Not applicable
Measured by
Inferred from the jet's opening angle and length-to-width ratio in radio and optical imaging

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Nearby constructs

accretion3 fields · 6 citationsjingle · one word, three constructsbeam1 fields · 2 citationsanchor · a standalone constructconstruct6 fields · 7 citationsjingle · one name, six constructs

References

  1. Jenkins, F. A., & White, H. E. (1976). Fundamentals of optics (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780070323308
  2. Blandford, R. D., & Payne, D. G. (1982). Hydromagnetic flows from accretion discs and the production of radio jets. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 199(4), 883–903. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/199.4.883

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