Beam4 Product Specifications

January 2015

Program Description --
+ Sequential: user-specified surface sequence

Host requirements --
+ Java Run Time Environment 1.8.0 or newer

Optical System Definition --
+ Sequential list of optically active surfaces
+ or Grouped Sequential: allows mosaic optics

Ray Definition --
+ Cartesian coordinates and direction cosines

Refractive Media
+ Table driven up to 200 glasses/table
+ Up to 25 wavelengths per table
+ Unlimited number of tables
+ Handles negative refraction indices correctly

Ray Variables --
+ Lab frame; individual surface frame

Solution Method --
+ Three-dimensional ray intercept solver
+ Analytic for conics
+ Numerical for higher surfaces

Output Functions --
+ Text -- screen, file, printer, clipboard
+ Graphics -- screen, file, printer, clipboard

Accuracy --
+ Double precision, 14 digits
+ Accuracy is maintained at grazing incidence

Surface Profiles --
+ Flat, spherical, conic sections of revolution;
+ Polynomials of revolution to 14th degree;
+ Cylinders: circular, conic, polynomial;
+ Torics: circular, conic, polynomial;
+ Zernike: terms 0 to 35

Surface Actions --
+ Refraction, reflection, iris, phantom
+ Arrays of mirrors, irises, lenses
+ Fresnel lenses & mirrors
+ Diffraction gratings, transmission & reflection
+ Ideal Retroreflectors
+ Holographic optical elements

Surface Positioning --
+ Labframe X, Y, Z, tilt, pitch, roll

Optical Complexity --
+ Up to 99 successive surfaces

Ray Configurations --
+ Up to 1000 rays per table

Table Editor --
+ Includes all table editing functions
+ All popular file systems are supported
+ ASCII data format, all products, all platforms
+ Built in text mode editing too

File Manager --
+ Fetch, directory display, save, warn if unsaved

Monte Carlo Ray Generator --
+ Provides an unlimited number of ray starts
+ Pseudorandom ray coordinates

Layout Graphics --
+ Shows surfaces, rays, media;
+ Any view direction (elevation & azimuth)
+ Multiple layouts simultaneously with differing views and scales

Plots --
+ All ray variables accessible
+ Spot diagrams, diagnostic plots
+ Multiplots and Maps too!

Distribution Functions --
+ Line spread function, point spread function,
+ wavefront display, modulation transfer function

Autoadjustment Capability --
+ All optics parameters
+ Ray starts -- positions, directions
+ Merit function: least squares
+ Method: Levenberg Marquardt iterative solver

AutoRay Capability--
+ Allows each ray start to be aligned to meet its goal
+ Permits populating a remote pupil

CAD & Graphics Output file types--
+ screen bitmap capture
+ 2DDXF
+ 3DDXF
+ Postscript
+ Plotter
+ PNG

Clipboard Interface --
+ Tables: cut, insert, paste, copy, delete
+ Easy exchange with spreadsheets
+ Graphics: copy screen to clipboard