Phase space diagrams in illumination optics

Abstract

Phase space diagrams are important tools in illumination design to illustrate the function of optical elements in an illumination system. We introduce the phase space of illumination optics and compare it to other branches of physics. Then, we show how basic phase space transformations such as for free space propagation and ideal lensing are represented in phase space diagrams and prove their usefulness by discussing a series of examples from our experience in various fields of optics and from literature. We review the system of all possible phase space transformations4 and discuss etendue conservation.