Link between the laws of geometrical optics and the radiative transfer equation in media with a spatially varying refractive index.

Jean-Michel Tualle (1)

1 LPL - Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers

We proposed in a previous paper [Opt. Commun. 228, 33 (2003)] a modified radiative transfer equation to describe radiative transfer in a medium with a spatially varying refractive index. The present paper is devoted to the demonstration that this equation perfectly works in the non-absorbing / non-scattering limit, what was contested by L. Martí-López and coworkers [Opt. Commun. 266, 44 (2006)]. The assertion that this equation would imply a zero divergence of the rays is also commented.

Mots clés: Radiative transfer equation; Geometrical optics

Domaines: Optique [physics.optics]

Jean-Michel Tualle. Link between the laws of geometrical optics and the radiative transfer equation in media with a spatially varying refractive index.. Optics Communications, 2008, 281 (14), pp.3631-3635. ⟨10.1016/j.optcom.2008.03.048⟩. ⟨hal-00196109⟩