Augustin Jean Fresnel

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Augustin Jean Fresnel

Augustin Jean Fresnel 1788-1827, French physicist and engineer. He is known for his research on light, especially on conditions governing interference phenomena in polarized light and on double refraction. His work supported the wave theory of light and the concept of transverse vibrations in light waves, which he analyzed mathematically. He devised a method of producing circularly polarized light and promoted the replacement of mirrors with compound lenses in lighthouses. He served as a government engineer during most of his career.

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Fresnel, Augustin Jean

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Â© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Fresnel, Augustin Jean (1788–1827) French physicist and engineer. His pioneering work in optics was instrumental in establishing the wave theory of light. He researched the conditions governing interference phenomena in polarized light, studied double refraction and devised a way of producing circularly polarized light. The Fresnel lens, consisting of a series of stepped concentric lenses, focuses light more efficiently than a standard convex lens.

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