A New Fully Vectorial Geometrical Optics Propagation Using Localized Grid-To-Grid Mappings

Geometrical optics propagation methods are well established for propagating fields through interfaces in a ray-tracing framework. In our case we make use of a local plane interface approximation and apply Fresnel’s formula locally. In the talk we discuss how geometrical optics methods can be extended to an electromagnetic setting. Then also vectorial effects, i.e. cross talk between x- and y-component of the electric field, can be considered. One of the challenging task that arise in a electromagnetic framework is to describe a valid interpolation for the discrete field values (one for each ray that is being traced) in the output plane. For that purpose, the method being presented solves the inverse grid-to-grid problem that starts with an equidistant grid in the output plane. Then the interpolation in the output plane is well defined. The resulting arbitrary grid in the input plane can be handled easily since full field information is available there. Finally methods for finding appropriate ray directions in the input plane are discussed in the talk. The software LightTrans VirtualLab(TM) provides the described methods and is used for the numerical examples that are shown.