Page 16 - Introduction to Information Optics

Chapter 1 Entropy Information and Optics

Francis T.S. Yu
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

Light is not only the mainstream of energy that supports life; it also provides
us with an important source of information. One can easily imagine that
without light, our present civilization would never have emerged. Furthermore,
humans are equipped exceptionally good (although not perfect) eyes, along
with an intelligent brain. Humans were therefore able to advance themselves
above the rest of the animals on this planet Earth. It is undoubtedly true that
if humans did not have eyes, they would not have evolved into their present
form. In the presence of light, humans are able to search for the food they need
and the art they enjoy, and to explore the unknown. Thus light, or rather
optics, provide us with a very valuable source of information, the application
of which can range from very abstract artistic interpretations to very efficient
scientific usages.
This chapter discusses the relationship between entropy information and
optics. Our intention is not to provide a detailed discussion, however, but to
cover the basic fundamentals that are easily applied to optics. We note that
entropy information was not originated by optical scientists, but rather by a
group of mathematically oriented electrical engineers whose original interest
was centered on electrical communication. Nevertheless, from the very begin-
ning of the discovery of entropy information, interest in its application has
never totally been absent from the optical standpoint. As a result of the recent
development of optical communication, signal processing, and computing,
among other discoveries, the relationship between optics and entropy informa-
tion has grown more profound than ever.