Hybrid Ray Tracing

Abstract

Nowadays optical systems are predominantly developed using conventional ray tracing methods such as sequential and non-sequential ray tracing. Sequential ray tracing is used in particular to design and optimize imaging systems. However, non-sequential ray tracing allows to take into account the resulting absorption losses and Fresnel reflections within an optical system and therefore enabling realistic predictions about the efficiency of optical systems. The increasing complexity of optical systems combined with the demand of high efficiency and high image quality leads to the fact that conventional methods reach their limits. This challenge can be met by implementing a hybrid ray tracing method. The objective here is to achieve an application-specific ratio between the imaging quality and the efficiency of the optical system. This contribution introduces a tool for the development of highly efficient optical systems considering imaging quality using a hybrid ray tracing method. We will show how the efficiency determined in non-sequential ray tracing can be used in sequential ray tracing to optimize the optical system.