Mirror

Mirror in optical system

Since R2026a

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    Description

    Add-On Required: This feature requires the Optical Design and Simulation Library for Image Processing Toolbox add-on.

    A Mirror object specifies the properties of a mirror in an optical system, such as its shape, position, and angular orientation. Add a mirror to an optical system using the addMirror object function, which creates a Mirror object.

    Creation

    There are two ways to create a Mirror object.

    • Use the addImagePlane object function when you want to add a mirror as the next component to an optical system in a single command. You can specify its properties, such as surface shape and spatial position, using name-value arguments.

    • Use the optics.component.Mirror function described here. Use this function when you want to create a mirror without adding it to the optical system, or modify the properties of a mirror already in the system. After creating the object, you can specify the mirror properties by modifying the properties of the object.

    Syntax

    mirror = optics.component.Mirror
    mirror = optics.component.Mirror(PropertyName=Value)

    Description

    mirror = optics.component.Mirror creates a Mirror object with default properties.

    mirror = optics.component.Mirror(PropertyName=Value) sets writeable properties using one or more name-value arguments.

    Example: optics.component.Mirror(Position=[2 0 4]) creates a Mirror object representing a mirror at a position [2 0 4].

    Properties

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    Name of the mirror, specified as a scalar or character vector.

    Shape of the mirror surface, specified as one of these options.

    By default, the shape of the mirror surface is circular, with a semi-diameter of 5.

    Surface of the mirror, specified as a Surface object. By default, the reflective mirror surface is a circular planar surface with a semi-diameter of 1.

    Optical coating applied to mirror surface, specified as an opticalCoating object. By default, the coating is a single 200 nm layer of silver (Ag).

    To apply a coating to the front side of the mirror component at creation, specify the Coating name-value argument of the addMirror function.

    Mirror substrate material, specified as an opticalMaterial object. By default, the substrate material is SiO2.

    Position of the mirror, specified as a 3-element row vector. The vector is in the form [x y z], where each element is the optical system x-, y-, and z-coordinate.

    To learn more about optical coordinate systems, see Coordinate Systems in Optical Design.

    Tilt angles of the mirror, specified as a 3-element row vector. The vector is in the form [θx θy θz], where θx, θy, and θz are tilt angles with respect to the optical system x, y, and z-axes, respectively.

    To learn more about optical coordinate systems, see Coordinate Systems in Optical Design.

    Note

    The TiltAngles property represents Euler angles. If you specify angles that are multiples of 90 degrees, visually verify the orientation of the optical system. Gimbal lock can occur, in which two of the three rotational axes become aligned. This alignment results in the loss of one degree of freedom, and can lead to ambiguous or unintended orientations.

    Version History

    Introduced in R2026a

    See Also

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