Fresnel, Augustin Jean (1788-1827), French physicist, an adherent of the wave theory of light. Born in Broglie, Eure-et-Loir, and educated at Caen and at the École Polytechnique in Paris, he made numerous experiments in the interference of light. Fresnel was the first to demonstrate that two beams of light polarized in different planes do not exhibit interference effects. From this experiment he correctly deduced that the wave motion of light is transverse, rather than longitudinal (like that of sound) as had been previously believed. Fresnel was the first to produce circularly polarized light. He also worked out a number of basic optical formulas, including those for reflection, refraction, double refraction, and the polarization of light reflected from a transparent substance. Fresnel's work on optical effects caused by the motion of objects was important in the later development of the theory of relativity. In the field of applied optics, Fresnel designed the type of compound lens, often called a Fresnel lens, that is used to produce parallel beams of light from lighthouses and in a type of spotlight frequently used in theatrical lighting. Fresnel's scientific work was known only to a small group of scientists during his lifetime, and some of his papers were not published until after his death. He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences and of the Royal Society of London.

You can buy a Fresnel lense from Edmund Scientific. In early days of television they were sold to
enlarge image on TV screen. I still have one.



"Fresnel, Augustin Jean," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.