Collimated light.

Light in which the rays (emanating from a source) are parallel or as parallel as one can reasonably expect.

Non-semiconductor lasers can produce highly collimated light because the reflective mirrors inside the laser are pretty well exactly parallel. (semiconductor or diode lasers require collimating lenses) However, ordinary light from light bulbs etc can also be collimated through use of lenses. Direct sunlight - but not skylight or other light from the sun that has been reflected or scattered - is also fairly collimated since the sun is at a great distance from the Earth and so sunlight appears to be emanating from a relatively small area.

Truly collimated light does not follow the inverse square law.

cf. inverse square law, laser, refractive index, skylight.

Entry last updated 2002-04-24. Term 234 of 1487.

Previous term: cold mirror.

Next term: collimation.

 

This document is copyright © 2002-2013 NK Guy, PhotoNotes.org. This information is provided with neither warranties nor claims of accuracy or completeness of any sort. Use this information at your own risk. All trademarks mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

You may copy and print this document for your own personal use. You may not, however, reprint or republish this work, in whole or in part, without prior permission from me, the author. Such republication includes inclusion of this work in other Web sites, Web pages, FTP archives, books, magazines or other periodicals, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM compilations or any other form of publication or distribution. Please do not frame this site within another.

Please send comments or error reports using the feedback form.