The inverse reflector problem arises in geometrical nonimaging optics: Given
a light source and a target, the question is how to design a reflecting
free-form surface such that a desired light density distribution is generated
on the target, e.g., a projected image on a screen. This optical problem can
mathematically be understood as a problem of optimal transport and equivalently
be expressed by a secondary boundary value problem of the Monge-Amp\`ere
equation, which consists of a highly nonlinear partial differential equation of
second order and constraints. In our approach the Monge-Amp\`ere equation is
numerically solved using a collocation method based on tensor-product
B-splines, in which nested iteration techniques are applied to ensure the
convergence of the nonlinear solver and to speed up the calculation. In the
numerical method special care has to be taken for the constraint: It enters the
discrete problem formulation via a Picard-type iteration. Numerical results are
presented as well for benchmark problems for the standard Monge-Amp\`ere
equation as for the inverse reflector problem for various images. The designed
reflector surfaces are validated by a forward simulation using ray tracing.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables; Keywords: Inverse reflector problem,
elliptic Monge-Amp\`ere equation, B-spline collocation method, Picard-type
iteration; Minor revision: reference [59] to a recent preprint has been added
and a few typos have been correcte
