Comparative study on efficiency of mirror retroreflectors

Abstract

Here we study retroreflectors based on specular reflections. Two kinds of asymptotically perfect specular retroreflectors in two dimensions, Notched angle and Tube, are known at present. We conduct comparative study of their efficiency, assuming that the reflection coefficient is slightly less than 1. We also compare their efficiency with the one of the retroreflector Square corner (the 2D analogue of the well-known and widely used Cube corner). The study is partly analytic and partly uses numerical simulations. We conclude that the retro-reflectivity of Notched angle is normally much greater than those of Tube and the Square corner. Additionally, simple Notched angle shapes are constructed, whose efficiency is significantly higher than that of the Square corner.