^^Caustica. Familiar examples of optical caustics.

  
caustic
the bright zone and line seen in a coffee cup on a bright sunny day.

Coffee cup caustic

  The caustic is formed by the light rays reflected and concentrated by the curved surface. Such concentration of light can burn. The word caustic, in fact, comes from the Latin causticus, burning.

Ring caustic

 

Water caustic

Onde di superficie, fanno
  • specchi concavi nelle valli
  • lenti convesse nelle creste

che producono caustiche

  

Caustica per riflessione

delle valli dell'onda

 

Caustica per rifrazione

delle creste dell'onda
 

 

càustica   s. f. [dall’agg. caustico]

in senso generico:  zona dove i raggi luminosi si concentrano.

in senso specifico matematico:

caustica per riflessione, catacaustica
linea o superficie d’inviluppo dei raggi riflessi
caustica per rifrazione,  diacaustica
linea o superficie d’inviluppo dei raggi rifratti

Sulla caustica si ha in ogni caso una concentrazione di energia luminosa e termica (onde il nome).

 

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Caustica.

 

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Alter espo

  caustic is the bright zone and line seen

in a coffee cup on a bright sunny day.

The caustic is formed by the light rays reflected and concentrated by the curved surface. Such concentration of light can burn. The word caustic, in fact, comes from the Latin causticus, burning.

Ring caustic

 

 

 
caustic
the bright zone and line seen

in a coffee cup on a bright sunny day.

The caustic is formed by the light rays reflected and concentrated by the curved surface. Such concentration of light can burn. The word caustic, in fact, comes from the Latin causticus, burning.

Ring caustic