Square source - how to get rays to spread

Question

Hi
I have a defined a source rectangle in OpticStudio, and am trying to analyse the rays that it will produce.
When I analyse it, the rays come out in a straight line orthogonal to the plane of the source, which is not what I expected, as I expected to see rays emanating out to the sides as well.  It is not a laser light, and I expected some diffusion to occur.
What do I need to do to see these rays?
Many thanks
Best Regards
Jo Ling

David · Accepted Answer

Hi Jo Ling,The Help documentation for Source Rectangle references Source Ellipse for defining the angular distribution. Three methods are offered: 1) rays appear to emit from a point , 2) a Cosine^n distribution, 3)  a distribution which is Gaussian in the x and y direction cosines which are l and m. If you follow the directions given, any of these distributions will produce rays which are not collimated.I often use a Gaussian distribution. From the given formula, I = I0 Exp[-(Gx l^2+Gy m^2)] it is possible to show that  if Gx = Gy = G then the distribution is radially symmetric and that if G = 2 / Sin(theta)^2 then the intensity falls to 1/E^2 at an angle theta from the z axis. Further, the distribution is approximately Gaussian in theta for small angles.Kind regards,David

Jo · Answer

Hi David.Thank you for this; I will try the Gaussian distribution for my analysis.Best RegardsJo

Square source - how to get rays to spread

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