Fermat’s principle in quantum gravitational optics

A variational principle in optics.

We derive a new variational principle in optics. We first formulate the principle for paraxial waves and then generalize it to arbitrary waves. The new principle, unlike the Fermat principle, concerns both the phase and the intensity of the wave. In particular, the principle provides a method for finding the ray mapping between two surfaces in space from information on the wave's intensity ther...

The Future of Gravitational Optics

Received ; accepted PASP Millenium Essay – 2 – ABSTRACT In this speculative, millenial essay, I try to anticipate what sort of novel gravitational optics investigations might be observed, after it becomes possible to map and monitor roughly a trillion sources (of which a billion may be usefully variable) comprehensively throughout electromagnetic and other spectra over the whole sky. Existing t...

Quasi-geometrical Optics Approximation in Gravitational Lensing

Abstract. The gravitational lensing of gravitational waves should be treated in the wave optics instead of the geometrical optics when the wave length λ of the gravitational waves is larger than the Schwarzschild radius of the lens mass M. The wave optics is based on the diffraction integral which represents the amplification of the wave amplitude by lensing. We study the asymptotic expansion o...

The Uncertainty Principle in Classical Optics

expand as they propagate along Z and, although their centers drift apart, there is the distinct possibility that they will never be completely separated. Roughly speaking, we expect the beams to remain more or less collimated between z = 0 and z = D2/ , the Rayleigh range2 for a beam of diameter D and wavelength . If at the Rayleigh range the distance between the beam centers is greater than D,...

Quantum Optics