Scattering of a Gaussian beam by a large perfectly conducting cylinder with application to optical sensors

Optical proximity sensing is often used in industry and the commercial realm to provide a system with information it may use in some decision making process. The applications for optical proximity sensing have changed and expanded over the years, and has presented a continually increased demand for higher accuracy. In order to satisfy this demand, new optical techniques have been established which have provided more precise proximity data than ever before, e.g. Atomic Force Microscopy and Photothermal Detection. To accommodate the increase in sensing precision, the precision of the mathematical models used to predict the behavior of the optical scheme must also increase.; The particular interest pursued in this dissertation involves the detection of the change in the position of a beam due to some phenomena, e.g. Photothermal Deflection or Atomic Force Microscopy. The deflection of the beam in these cases may be on the order of microradians, and too small to detect with ordinary means. To remedy this, a reflecting cylinder is strategically positioned to reflect the incident deflected beam and, by the cylinder geometry, the reflected beam from the cylinder shows an increased deflection angle compared to the incident beam. If the optical scheme has been designed successfully, the resulting deflection of the reflected beam will be large enough to be detected by a sensor.; In order to predict the optical behavior of an incident deflected beam reflected from a cylinder, three mathematical methods, Geometrical Optics, Physical Optics, and an Exact Formulation rigorously based on Maxwell's equations are employed. From these methods, a Geometrical Optics solution, two Physical Optics solutions, and an Exact solution are obtained and compared to demonstrate the accuracy of these mathematical models to predict the electric field behavior of a beam reflected from a cylinder.; In all cases a Gaussian, well focused beam is used. The near, transitional, and far zones are considered in the development of the solutions and the limitations of the various solutions in this regard are presented. The comparisons among the solutions are made by modeling realistic optical schemes. This provides viable data for a fair determination of the merit of each solution, and also highlights the concerns for applying the solutions to predict the optical scheme behavior.