Conventionally an optical system is defined by a static description. In this case the raytracing is a deterministic process. But if one allows specific statistical variations of the parameters of the optical system or the parameters of the ray, the options of the raytracing can be extended considerably. Thus, new features for the simulation of optical systems arise. The principles and applications of Monte Carlo methods are shown and discussed. Several examples are presented.

Date Published: 4 September 2002
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 4769, Optical Design and Analysis Software II, (4 September 2002); doi: 10.1117/12.481190

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4769:
Optical Design and Analysis Software II
Richard C. Juergens, Editor(s)