Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Concept Videos

Gauss's Law01:07

Gauss's Law

If a closed surface does not have any charge inside where an electric field line can terminate, then the electric field line entering the surface at one point must necessarily exit at some other point of the surface. Therefore, if a closed surface does not have any charges inside the enclosed volume, then the electric flux through the surface is zero. What happens to the electric flux if there are some charges inside the enclosed volume? Gauss's law gives a quantitative answer to this question.
Gauss's Law: Cylindrical Symmetry01:20

Gauss's Law: Cylindrical Symmetry

A charge distribution has cylindrical symmetry if the charge density depends only upon the distance from the axis of the cylinder and does not vary along the axis or with the direction about the axis. In other words, if a system varies if it is rotated around the axis or shifted along the axis, it does not have cylindrical symmetry. In real systems, we do not have infinite cylinders; however, if the cylindrical object is considerably longer than the radius from it that we are interested in,...
Gauss's Law: Spherical Symmetry01:26

Gauss's Law: Spherical Symmetry

A charge distribution has spherical symmetry if the density of charge depends only on the distance from a point in space and not on the direction. In other words, if the system is rotated, it doesn't look different. For instance, if a sphere of radius R is uniformly charged with charge density ρ0, then the distribution has spherical symmetry. On the other hand, if a sphere of radius R is charged so that the top half of the sphere has a uniform charge density ρ1 and the bottom half has a uniform...
Gauss's Law: Planar Symmetry01:27

Gauss's Law: Planar Symmetry

A planar symmetry of charge density is obtained when charges are uniformly spread over a large flat surface. In planar symmetry, all points in a plane parallel to the plane of charge are identical with respect to the charges. Suppose the plane of the charge distribution is the xy-plane, and the electric field at a space point P with coordinates (x, y, z) is to be determined. Since the charge density is the same at all (x, y) - coordinates in the z = 0 plane, by symmetry, the electric field at P...
Gauss's Law: Problem-Solving01:10

Gauss's Law: Problem-Solving

Gauss's law helps determine electric fields even though the law is not directly about electric fields but electric flux. In situations with certain symmetries (spherical, cylindrical, or planar) in the charge distribution, the electric field can be deduced based on the knowledge of the electric flux. In these systems, we can find a Gaussian surface S over which the electric field has a constant magnitude. Furthermore, suppose the electric field is parallel (or antiparallel) to the area vector...
Gauss's Law in Dielectrics01:17

Gauss's Law in Dielectrics

Consider a polar dielectric placed in an external field. In such a dielectric, opposite charges on adjacent dipoles neutralize each other, such that the net charge within the dielectric is zero. When a polar dielectric is inserted in between the capacitor plates, an electric field is generated due to the presence of net charges near the edge of the dielectric and the metal plates interface. Since the external electrical field merely aligns the dipoles, the dielectric as a whole is neutral. An...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Design for polarizing holographic optical elements.

Applied optics·2010
Same author

Improving the linearity of the Michelson interferometric angular measurement by a parameter compensation method.

Applied optics·2010
Same author

New optical method for measuring small-angle rotations.

Applied optics·2010
Same author

Gas laser mode-locking using an external acoustooptic modulator with a potential application to passive ring gyroscopes.

Applied optics·2010
Same author

Pulse measurement with a rotating antiresonant ring.

Applied optics·2010
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2026

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry
12:14

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry

Published on: August 12, 2013

Some nomographs for Gaussian beams.

E Stijns

    Applied Optics
    |March 10, 2010
    PubMed
    Summary

    This study introduces nomographs for calculating Gaussian beam properties, including peak irradiance, power through apertures, and lens transformations. These graphical tools simplify complex optical calculations for researchers.

    Area of Science:

    • Optics and Photonics
    • Laser Physics
    • Applied Mathematics

    Background:

    • Gaussian beams are fundamental in laser optics.
    • Accurate calculations of beam properties are crucial for optical system design.
    • Existing methods for these calculations can be complex and time-consuming.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To develop graphical calculation tools (nomographs) for key Gaussian beam parameters.
    • To simplify the determination of peak irradiance, power through apertures, and beam transformation by lenses.
    • To provide a versatile tool applicable to various Gaussian beam problems, including radius determination.

    Main Methods:

    • Construction of nomographs based on established optical formulas for Gaussian beams.
    • Graphical representation of relationships between power, radius, irradiance, and lens parameters.

    More Related Videos

    Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels
    11:34

    Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels

    Published on: September 8, 2016

    Characterization of SiN Integrated Optical Phased Arrays on a Wafer-Scale Test Station
    05:57

    Characterization of SiN Integrated Optical Phased Arrays on a Wafer-Scale Test Station

    Published on: April 1, 2020

    Related Experiment Videos

    Last Updated: Jun 15, 2026

    The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry
    12:14

    The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry

    Published on: August 12, 2013

    Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels
    11:34

    Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgels

    Published on: September 8, 2016

    Characterization of SiN Integrated Optical Phased Arrays on a Wafer-Scale Test Station
    05:57

    Characterization of SiN Integrated Optical Phased Arrays on a Wafer-Scale Test Station

    Published on: April 1, 2020

  • Validation of nomograph accuracy against analytical solutions.

    • Main Results:

    • Successfully constructed nomographs for peak irradiance, power through a circular aperture, and Gaussian beam transformation by a lens.
    • Demonstrated the nomographs' utility for determining beam radius.
    • The developed nomographs offer a rapid and intuitive method for optical calculations.

    Conclusions:

    • Nomographs provide an efficient and accessible method for solving common Gaussian beam problems.
    • These tools can aid in the design and analysis of optical systems involving lasers.
    • The graphical approach enhances understanding and speeds up calculations in laser optics research.