Reflectors in lighting design

Reflectors and lenses are common optical components used for image formation and the creation of beam patterns and light distributions. While lenses dominate imaging optics in many applications such as cameras and microscopes, reflectors are widely used in lighting and illumination optics. This article presents an overview of reflectors, including common reflector materials, modern design approaches, and applications. This article does not include information about physical and mathematical properties of reflectors; this information is thoroughly covered in optics industry and academic publications. There will be archetypes and examples discussed in the various sections of this article – neither is there any claim for completeness nor are these meant to be absolute. The intention of this article was to draw a comprehensive horizon around reflector applications and most of all their designs for lighting applications.