Fundamentals of Optics

In this chapter, we discuss some of the fundamentals of optics. We first cover the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum, which shows that the visible spectrum occupies just a very narrow portion of the entire EM spectrum. We then discuss geometrical optics and wave optics. In geometrical optics, we formulate the propagation of light rays in terms of matrices, whereas in wave optics we formulate wave propagation using the Fresnel diffraction formula, which is the solution to Maxwell’s equations. Fourier optics and its applications in optical image processing are then discussed. One of the important optical image processing applications in optical correlation is subsequently explained. Finally, we discuss the human visual system and end this chapter with a brief conclusion.