Elliptic ray bundles in three-dimensional geometry for nonimaging optics:: a new approach

A new method to obtain elliptic ray bundles in three-dimensional geometry is presented. This type of bundle is of special interest in nonimaging optics because the only known three-dimensional ideal concentrators with homogeneous media transmit elliptic bundles. First, we reformulate the condition for a bundle to be elliptic; that is, the rays passing through any point of the space form a cone with an elliptic base. The solution found includes all the elliptic bundles obtained by other methods as a particular case. Second, we look for the concentrators defined by the new elliptic bundles with the flow-line design method of nonimaging optics. Most of these bundles do not generate new devices but are transmitted ideally through the already known three-dimensional ideal concentrators. (C) 1999 Optical Society of America [S0740-3232(99)01808-6] OCIS codes: 220.1770, 080.2740, 080.2720.