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Focusing Collimated LightParabolic mirrors (Figure 1) focus all rays in an incoming, collimated light beam to a diffraction-limited spot. In contrast, concave spherical mirrors (Figure 2) concentrate incoming collimated light into a volume larger than a diffraction-limited spot. The size of the spherical mirror's focal volume can be reduced by decreasing the diameter of the incoming collimated beam.

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Figure 2: Spherical mirrors do not reflect all rays in a collimated beam through a single point. A selection of intersections in the focal volume are indicated by black dots.

Items that we sell are guaranteed for their normal life under standard non-commercial use. Should any product fail to meet your expectations, we will replace it or refund the cost of the item less shipping and service fees. Returns older than one year will be credited in the form of a gift certificate.

Choosing Between Parabolic and Spherical MirrorsA parabolic mirror is not always the better choice. Beam diameter, cost constraints, space limitations, and performance requirements of an application all influence selection. Beam diameter is a factor, since the performance of these two mirrors is more similar when the beam diameter is smaller. Parabolic mirrors are more expensive, since their reflective profiles are more difficult to fabricate. Parabolic mirrors are also typically larger. Improved performance may or may not be more important than the difference in cost and physical size.

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Redesigned, updated, and only available from Hammacher Schlemmer, this is the desktop magnifier that enlarges and illuminates an entire book or magazine page. Its 93/4" x 113/4 plastic lens provides 3X magnification of a standard 8" x 11" page without requiring you to adjust or reposition your reading material or the magnifier itself. Unlike glass lenses that can be heavy and crack easily, this magnifier's ABS plastic lens is shatterproof and lightweight, providing the same magnifying power of glass but without the weight and fragility. Its integrated 20 white LEDs help to reduce eyestrain and have dimmers to provide your ideal level of brightness for reading, writing, or inspecting coins and stamps. The neck tilts up/down 120º and the body rotates a full 360º. LEDs are rated for 50,000 hours. It plugs into AC with included adapter. Also accommodates four AA batteries for backup or cordless power. Base 11" L x 7 1/2" W x 9 3/4" D.

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When a point source is placed within a spherical mirror's focal volume, the output beam is not as well collimated as the beam provided by a parabolic mirror. Different rays from the point source are not perfectly parallel after reflection from the spherical mirror, but two reflected rays will be more nearly parallel when they reflect from more closely spaced points on the spherical mirror's surface. Consequently, the quality of the collimated beam can be improved by reducing the area of the reflective surface. This is equivalent to limiting the angular range over which the source in the focal volume emits light.

Parabolic mirrors perform better than spherical mirrors when collimating light emitted by a point source or focusing a collimated beam.

In the beginning there was hardware. Over the decades much has changed at Hammacher Schlemmer. But our original philosophy has remained constant...and still guides us more than 175 years later.

Collimating Light from a Point SourceA point source emits light in all directions. When this highly divergent light source is placed at the focal point of a parabolic mirror, the output beam is highly collimated. If the point source were ideal, all reflected rays would be perfectly parallel with one another.