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Spherical Mirrors

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About Spherical Mirrors

Spherical mirrors are curved so that reflected beams converge on a focal point. Important parameters to consider when searching for spherical mirrors include diameter, radius of curvature, thickness, and focal length. The diameter of the mirror if viewed straight on can also be thought of as the height. If a mirror's curvature was extrapolated into a sphere, the radius of that sphere is the radius of curvature for that mirror. The thickness can be specified as center thickness or edge thickness. Focal length is the distance from the spherical mirror the light converges. Mirror material refers to the classification of the material used to make spherical mirrors. The material used influences the reflectivity characteristics of the spherical mirror. Choices include BK7 glass, copper, fused silica, nickel, optical crown glass, and UV grade fused silica.

Mirror coatings are used to enhance the reflectivity of spherical mirrors. Common coatings for spherical mirrors include none (uncoated), bar aluminum, enhanced aluminum, protected aluminum, dielectric, bare gold, protected gold, rhodium, and silver. Aluminum is an excellent reflector in the upper UV, visible, and near infrared regions; however, the surface is soft and must be handled with care. With enhanced aluminum coatings, a multilayer film of dielectrics on top of aluminum is used to enhance the reflectance in the visible or ultraviolet region. The multilayer film also provides the handling characteristics of the protected aluminum coating. In a protected aluminum coating, a coating is used as an overcoat to protect the delicate aluminum. This treatment provides an abrasion resistant surface while maintaining the performance of aluminum. Dielectric coatings are multi-layer coatings which offer excellent performance over a specific wavelength range and are relatively insensitive to small angle changes. Dielectric coatings tend to be more durable than metal coatings. Spherical mirrors with gold coatings provide consistently high reflectance in the near-IR to far-IR. Rhodium coatings have a reflectivity of approximately of 80% throughout the visible spectrum. Silver coatings are superior in reflectance to aluminum; however its strong tendency to oxidize and tarnish means that it must be thoroughly sealed from the atmosphere in order to avoid degradation.

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Other Topics You Might Be Interested In

  • Selecting Metallic Mirror Coatings
    Edmund manufactures a wide range of precision parabolic, spherical and flat mirrors in our own facility. These products are offered in a variety of metallic coatings to suit all your application...
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Engineering Web: Spherical Mirrors

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Spherical Mirrors Information | Business.com
Spherical Mirrors Home » Directory » Electronics & Semiconductors » Optoelectronics » Mirrors » Spherical Makers and sellers of Spherical Mirrors.
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Mirror - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reflecting parabolic mirrors were first described by the Arabian physicist, Ibn Sahl, in the 10th century[7. Ibn al-Haytham discussed concave and
Mirrors - Edmund Optics
Convex Spherical Mirrors Flat Mirrors (26 Total) | Top of Page Commercial Quality Cylinder Mirrors Concave Spherical Mirrors
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