Optical components are elements utilized in shaping light propagation and manipulation of optical systems. These components encompass a diverse range of devices designed to manipulate, transmit, reflect, or control the behavior of light within optical setups. They can be broadly categorized into two groups: transmissives and reflective. 

Transmissives: Transmissive optical components facilitate the transmission of light through them. They encompass a variety of elements essential for optical systems, including:

• Lenses: Used for focusing or diverging light rays, lenses come in various forms such as convex, concave, cylindrical, and aspherical, each tailored to specific optical requirements.
• Filters: Filters selectively transmit, absorb, or reflect certain wavelengths of light, allowing for precise control over spectral characteristics.
• Windows: Transparent optical elements that protect optical systems while permitting light transmission, commonly used to seal optical enclosures.
• Optical Flats: Precision-polished flat surfaces used as reference planes for optical measurements or as beam splitters.
• Prisms: Employed for light dispersion, deviation, or polarization, prisms enable versatile manipulation of light paths within optical systems.
• Polarizers: Devices that selectively transmit light waves with a specific polarization orientation, crucial for applications such as glare reduction and polarization microscopy.
• Beamsplitters: Optical devices that divide incident light into two or more separate beams, often used for simultaneous imaging or illumination.
• Wave Plates: Also known as retardation plates, wave plates modify the polarization state of light passing through them, facilitating polarization control in optical setups.
• Fiber Optics: Thin strands of glass or plastic capable of transmitting light over long distances via total internal reflection, integral to telecommunications, and optical sensing applications.

Reflectives: Reflective optical components redirect incident light through reflection. This category primarily includes:

• Mirrors: Surfaces that reflect light according to the laws of reflection, available in various configurations such as flat, concave, convex, and dichroic, serving diverse optical functions.
• Retroreflectors: Optical devices that reflect incident light back toward its source, commonly used for alignment purposes and in applications requiring high visibility.