Caustic (mathematics)

In differential geometry and geometric optics, a caustic is the [[Envelope (mathematics)|envelope of rays either reflected or refracted by a manifold.

It is related to the concept of caustics in optics.

Description

The ray's source may be a point (called the radiant) or parallel rays from a point at infinity, in which case a direction vector of the rays must be specified.

See also

• Caustic (optics)
• Differential geometry
• Envelope (mathematics)
• Geometric optics
• Manifold
• Mathematics

External links

• Caustic (mathematics) @ Wikipedia