• 180° reflection independent of angle of incidence

• 2 arc sec accuracy

• Image inverted and reversed 

Solid glass retroreflectors are sometimes called corner cubes because the reflecting surfaces are three mutually perpendicular faces, like the corner of a cube. Light entering a retroreflector is reflected back 180°, and parallel to the original beam, regardless of its orientation to the beam. This makes retroreflectors valuable for applications requiring an exact 180° reflection without having to precisely orient the prism, reflected images are both inverted and reversed.

Retroreflectors are available in three sizes — 6.35, 12.7, and 25.4 mm. The three reflective surfaces are uncoated, relying on total internal reflection (TIR), which gives them limitations at severe angles of incidence. They also must be kept clean for TIR to work properly . However, upon request, the reflecting surfaces can be coated with protected aluminum to avoid TIR failure.