Abstract

Static optical transmission is restudied by postulation of the optical path as the proper element in a three-dimensional Riemannian manifold (no torsion); this postulation can be applied to describe the light–medium interactive system. On the basis of the postulation, the behaviors of light transmitting through the medium with refractive index n are investigated, the investigation covering the realms of both geometrical optics and wave optics. The wave equation of light in static transmission is studied modally, the postulation being employed to derive the exact form of the optical field equation in a medium (in which the light is viewed as a single-component field). Correspondingly, the relationships concerning the conservation of optical fluid and the dynamic properties are given, and some simple applications of the theories mentioned are presented.

© 1995 Optical Society of America

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