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In optics, optical path length (OPL, denoted Λ in equations), also known as optical length or optical distance, is the length that light needs to travel through a vacuum to create the same phase difference as it would have when traveling through a given medium.
Optical path length is the product of physical path length and refractive index of a medium. It determines the phase delay of light and is important for interferometry and optics design. Learn more about the concept, formula and examples.
Emphasizes on finding the light path. Especially useful for studying the optical behavior of the system which has length scale much larger than the wavelength of light, such as: designing optical instruments, tracing the path of propagation in inhomogeneous media. Wave Optics (physical optics). Emphasizes on analyzing interference and diffraction.
In the field of optics, optical path length or optical distance is the product of the geometric length of the path light follows through a system, and the index of refraction of the medium...
Learn the definition, formula and principle of optical path length (OPL), the time required for light to travel between two points in a medium. Find examples and applications of OPL in geometrical optics and optical systems.
Sep 16, 2022 · The optical path length [m] of the ray between S and P is defined by: OPL = ∫ 0sP n(r(s))ds, O P L = ∫ 0 s P n ( r ( s)) d s, So the OPL is the distance weighted by the refractive index. Fermat’s principle is thus equivalent to the statement that a ray follows the path with shortest OPL.
