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Optical engineering is the field of engineering encompassing the physical phenomena and technologies associated with the generation, transmission, manipulation, detection, and utilization of light. Optical engineers use the science of optics to solve problems and to design and build devices that make light do something useful. They design and operate optical equipment that uses the properties of light using physics and chemistry, such as lenses, microscopes, telescopes, lasers, sensors, fiber-optic communication systems and optical disc systems (e.g. CD, DVD).

Optical engineering metrology uses optical methods to measure either micro-vibrations with instruments like the laser speckle interferometer, or properties of masses with instruments that measure refraction.

Nano-measuring and nano-positioning machines are devices designed by optical engineers. These machines, for example microphotolithographic steppers, have nanometer precision, and consequently are used in the fabrication of goods at this scale.

See also

• Optical lens design
• Optical physics
• Optician
• Photonics

References

1. "ESO Awards ELT Sensor Contract to Teledyne e2v". www.eso.org. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
2. Read "Harnessing Light: Optical Science and Engineering for the 21st Century" at NAP.edu. 1998. doi:10.17226/5954. ISBN 978-0-309-05991-6.
3. "An Introduction to Optical Design | Synopsys". www.synopsys.com. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
4. Walker, Bruce H (1998). Optical Engineering Fundamentals. SPIE Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-8194-2764-9.
5. Walker, Bruce H (1998). Optical Engineering Fundamentals, SPIE Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-8194-2764-9
6. Manske E. (2019) Nanopositioning and Nanomeasuring Machines. In: Gao W. (eds) Metrology. Precision Manufacturing. Springer, Singapore. doi:10.1007/978-981-10-4938-5_2

Further reading

• Driggers, Ronald G. (ed.) (2003). Encyclopedia of Optical Engineering. New York: Marcel Dekker. 3 vols. ISBN 978-0-8247-0940-2
• Bruce H. Walker, Historical Review, SPIE Press, Bellingham, WA. ISBN 978-0-8194-7877-1 doi:10.1117/3.818136.ch2
• FTS Yu & Xiangyang Yang (1997) Introduction to Optical Engineering, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-57493-5.
• Optical Engineering (ISSN 0091-3286)

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