Using the bench
Parts reference
Everything in the Add optics list, with its defaults. Parts are placed on the beam where there is room, and you can move, rotate and duplicate any of them.
Lenses
| Part | Defaults | Key fields |
|---|---|---|
| Convex lens | R 100 / −100, t 8 mm, ⌀40 | R1, R2, centre thickness, diameter, conic, aspheric terms |
| Concave lens | R −100 / 100, t 3 mm, ⌀40 | Same; gives a virtual focus |
| Plano-convex | R 60 / flat, t 8 mm, ⌀40 | R2 = 0 means a flat face |
| Custom lens | R 80 / 200, t 7 mm, ⌀40 | A meniscus — both surfaces curve the same way |
| Cylindrical lens | R 60 / flat, t 6, 40 × 30 mm | Cylinder axis: 0 focuses in the table plane, 1 vertically |
A radius of 0 means flat. Positive R puts the centre of curvature downstream (toward +x). Selecting a lens shows its paraxial focal length for red, green and blue right in the panel.
Aspheric surfaces
Each surface takes a conic constant k and polynomial terms A4–A10. k = 0 is a sphere, −1 a paraboloid, below −1 a hyperboloid. Setting k = −n² on the curved face of a plano-convex lens removes spherical aberration completely — the panel offers this as Perfect focus.
Solid glass
| Part | Defaults | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Glass slab | 20 × 50 × 50 mm | Parallel faces: shifts a beam sideways without changing its direction |
| Prism | 60° apex, 40 mm sides, flint glass | Apex angle, side, height. The classic dispersion demonstration |
| Water block | 80 × 50 × 50 mm, water | A tank — refraction and dispersion in a liquid |
| Ball lens | radius 15 mm | A sphere; strong spherical aberration and a tight caustic |
| Brilliant gem | radius 12 mm, diamond | A cut brilliant: total internal reflection and fire |
Mirrors, apertures and splitters
| Part | Defaults | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mirror | ⌀40, 95% reflective, yaw 45° | Reflectivity is a straight fraction of the power |
| Beam splitter | ⌀40, 50% , yaw 45° | Splits the path in two; both arms are traced |
| Iris | 2 × 60 × 60 mm plate, 10 mm hole | Stops down a beam; also the aperture for wave-mode diffraction |
| Slit mask | 2 slits, 0.05 mm wide, 0.25 mm apart | Slits, slit width a, spacing d, slit height |
Polarisation and diffraction
| Part | Defaults | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Polarizer | ⌀30, axis 0° | Transmission axis measured from vertical — see polarisation |
| Waveplate | ⌀30, axis 45°, 0.25 waves | Retardance in waves: 0.25 = quarter-wave, 0.5 = half-wave |
| Diffraction grating | 600 lines/mm, phase depth 1.84, order 1 | Transmission or reflective; choose which order the measurements follow |
Screens
A screen catches light and becomes a detector. You can have up to four. Each has a position, rotation, width and height; the receiving face is the one light travels into. The Measure panel reports on whichever screen is selected, or the last one you touched.