Simulation of the inhomogeneous medium with a self-adapting grid

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Computational Physics

Background:

• Existing ray tracing methods struggle with inhomogeneous media where refractive index distribution lacks simple formulas.
• The atmosphere and flowing liquids present complex refractive index variations challenging traditional optical modeling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an efficient and accurate method for tracing rays through inhomogeneous optical media.
• To address the limitations of current techniques in handling complex, non-uniform refractive index distributions.

Main Methods:

• A self-adapting grid is employed, where cell size dynamically adjusts based on the local refractive index gradient.
• Ray tracing is performed within this adaptive grid, allowing for precise calculations in regions of high refractive index change.

Main Results:

• The method demonstrates high accuracy in tracing rays through media with random refractive index distributions.
• Comparison with commercial lens design codes for regular gradient media validates the accuracy of the new approach.

Conclusions:

• The self-adapting grid method provides an accurate and efficient solution for ray tracing in complex inhomogeneous media.
• This technique offers a significant advancement for optical modeling in scenarios with unpredictable refractive index variations.