Optical simulation-based on flowline method

Abstract

Nonimaging optics is focused on the study of techniques to design concentrators or illuminators systems. The flowline optical design method, based on the definition of the geometrical flux vector J, is one of these techniques. The main property of flowline method is, its ability to estimate how radiant energy is transferred by the optical systems using the concepts of vector field theory, like field line or flux tube, overcoming traditional raytrace methods. This method has been developed only at an academic level, where characteristic optical parameters are ideal and the studied geometries are simple. The main objective of the present paper is the extension of the flowline method to the analysis and design of real 3D concentration and illumination systems by means of simulation. Using the concept of vector potential we can generalize flowline computations to real 3D systems. This new computation methodology provides, traditional simulations results like irradiance maps with higher precision and lower computation time, and new information as vector field maps produced by the system.