Ray-wave duality in classical optics: crossing the Feynman bridge.

Abstract

Classical ray and wave optics share a common structure with quantum mechanics. Much of this results from the representations given to abstract operators. It is possible to build a mathematical bridge that allows one to transform back and forth between the ray and wave picture. This is given by the Feynman path integral representation. The map between the ray and wave description is given in terms of a sum over histories integration. In particular, it allows for the computation of wave phenomena by the summation of multiple ray paths of a phase function connected to the classical optical path length.