2005/10/28 by John P. Hernandez, Hernandez, John P.
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Fiber Optic Sensors #FOS: Physical sciences #Optics (physics.optics) #Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics #Photonic and Optical Devices #Physics Education (physics.ed-ph) #physics.ed-ph #physics.optics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.physics/0510263
4 pages, no figures
arxiv created 2005/10/28 · openalex publication_date 2005/10/28 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The basic laws of geometrical optics can be deduced from energy-momentum conservation for electromagnetic waves, without other wave concepts. However, the concept of quanta is required; it arises naturally, hence such a hypothesis could have arisen earlier than it did historically. Measurements to determine the angles of reflection and refraction demand that each incident quantum be either reflected or refracted; such a separation is central to the experimental results.