Total internal reflection mirror?

[Smacal1072]

Hi all,

From what I understand, total internal reflection reflect 100% of light. Suppose you had a transparent material with a critical angle of 45 degrees. Now say you had a cone with a 45 degree angle, and you shined monochromatic light in through the base. Would 100% be reflected (minus attenuation loss)?

Thanks

 

[Filip Larsen]

From what I remember from my course in optics, I'd say yes, but I must admit I have never seen or heard about a cone-shaped retro-reflector; they are usually always prisms. I suspect that the reason TIR reflectors aren't cone-shaped has to do with difficulty of getting a perfect round surface of a crystal material that really is best for flat surfaces.