Gustav Robert Kirchhoff's Treatise "On The Theory Of Light Rays" (1882): English Translation, Analysis And CommentaryKlaus Hentschel, Ning Yan Zhu World Scientific, 2016 M08 25 - 168 pages 'Although the editors admit that they cannot present an unequivocal explanation for the strange resilience of Kirchhoff’s flawed theory, their book is an admirable effort to meet this challenge … It is a concerted effort to resolve a persistent riddle in the history of physics — and an example of how expert knowledge from different specialties may be focused on a target of common interest.'ISIS JournalThe 1882 paper by the mathematical physicist Gustav Robert Kirchhoff on diffraction theory is still being discussed to this day, but has never been translated into English. This volume contains the first English translation of the Kirchhoff treatise, as well as background and commentary on it. Included are a biographical introduction to Kirchhoff's life, an analysis of the reception to Kirchhoff's paper through the ages, a discussion on why Kirchhoff's theory manages to produce accurate predictions in spite of being 'wrong', and views on the theory as well as its predecessor and subsequent developments. This anthology will make all English-speaking scientists, engineers, historians, and interested laymen aware of the great fecundity of Kirchhoff's thought and historical context. |
Contents
| 1 | |
Commentary on Kirchhoffs Theory of Diffraction
by Ning Yan Zhu
| 19 |
On the Theory of Light Rays | 31 |
Kirchhoffs Theory for Optical Diffraction by Jed Z Buchwald and ChenPang Yeang
| 63 |
Why Kirchhoffs Approximation Works by Peter Vickers | 125 |
A Brief Bibliometric Analysis by Werner Marx | 143 |
| 153 | |
Common terms and phrases
amplitudes analysis Annalen der Physik Ansatz aperture approximation Arnold Sommerfeld assumed assumptions behavior Berlin black body boundary conditions Buchwald Bunsen Cambridge Citation Index citing articles closed surface considered coordinates denotes diffraction region diffraction theory direction discontinuity distance electromagnetic element Emil Wolf ether expression far-field finite formula Fresnel Gian Antonio Maggi Green’s function Green’s theorem Gustav Robert Kirchhoff Helmholtz Huygens incident wave inconsistent infinitely large infinitesimal intersection Kirchhoff article Kirchhoff’s Ansatz Kirchhoff’s approach Kirchhoff’s boundary conditions Kirchhoff’s diffraction Kirchhoff’s paper Kirchhoff’s theory lectures light line integral luminous point Maggi Marchand and Wolf mathematical Ning Yan Zhu normal derivative normal gradient optics physics plane predictions principle problem Rayleigh rays region result rim integral Rubinowicz scientific screen solution Sommerfeld source wave spectrum Stokes surface integral Theorie der Lichtstrahlen Theory of Diffraction tion vanish wave equation wave function wavelength