Application Of Hamiltonian Methods To Analogous Problems In Optics: Optical Fibers
Abstract
The formal analogy between Hamiltonian classical mechanics and quantum mechanics on the one hand and geometrical optics and physical optics on the other hand is systematically presented. When the time is replaced by the axial coordinate of a cylindrically uniform optical system and Hamilton's principle replaced by Fermat's principle, classical particle trajectories correspond to rays and quantum mechanical wave functions to physical optics fields. The operator formalism of quantum mechanics then provides elegant solutions for problems associated with propagation of beams in multimode optical fibers.
- Publication:
-
Applications of mathematics in modern optics
- Pub Date:
- December 1982
- DOI:
- 10.1117/12.934053
- Bibcode:
- 1982SPIE..358...39K
- Keywords:
-
- Fermat Principle;
- Fiber Optics;
- Geometrical Optics;
- Hamiltonian Functions;
- Optical Fibers;
- Physical Optics;
- Quantum Mechanics;
- Gradient Index Optics;
- Operators (Mathematics);
- Particle Trajectories;
- Propagation Modes;
- Ray Tracing;
- Wave Functions;
- Optics