The results reported by Physical Optics Propagation (POP) may differ from those reported by ray-based analyses, such as the Spot Diagram, for several reasons. Namely, POP models a different type of propagation from traditional ray propagation in that it is most commonly used to model Gaussian beams. Rays will travel in a straight line. That is, a collimated beam will never change size and a diverging beam will retain the same divergence everywhere. This is not the case for a Gaussian beam, as it will diffract as propagates. Within the beam’s Rayleigh range, the size of a Gaussian beam changes slowly, and far beyond the Rayleigh range, the beam size changes linearly with propagation distance. Near the Rayleigh range, however, the beam size will change nonlinearly with propagation distance. These three factors can all contribute to difference between a POP results and ray-based analysis results.

Check out this webinar for a detailed discussion on how and when (and when not) to use POP to model Gaussian beams in OpticStudio.

When softkey licenses fail to transfer from one computer to another, they often do so for one of two reasons: the Zemax License Manager (ZLM) on one computer is outdated or one or more components of the Zemax License Manager are installed improperly.

The first thing to check which version of the ZLM is installed on both the source and destination computers. You must ensure that the version of the ZLM installed on both computers either predates or postdates August 2016. There was a change made to the transfer process at this time, and softkey licenses cannot be transferred to or from ZLMs which use different transfer methods. The version date for the ZLM can be found at the top of the ZLM window.

If you’re still receiving error messages after ensuring that you’re using compatible ZLM versions, there may be one or more components of the ZLM that are installed improperly. The first step to fixing this error is to repair the ZLM using the instructions outlined here.

If you are still unable to complete your license transfer after doing this, contact support@zemax.com for next steps.