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SUBSCRIPTIONS & PRICING
GENERAL INFORMATION
Optical Design
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Description
This text is written for engineers and scientists who have some experience in the field of optics and want to know more about the details and derivations of equations used in optical design. Organized by topic, the book begins with the fundamental law of geometrical optics, Snell's law of refraction, and states the paraxial ray trace equations, then moves on to thin lenses and increasingly more sophisticated components and multi-element systems. Each topic is covered in depth and provides comprehensive information on performance and limitations.
While the text is based on general optical laws, special emphasis has been placed on the two major infrared regions — the mid-wave (MWIR) and the long-wave (LWIR). This is particularly important with regard to diffractive hybrids, which have found their place in these long wavelength areas for the correction of chromatic aberrations and athermalization. Comments relating to single-point diamond turning have also been included because this process is predominantly used to produce optical elements for the infrared regions.
Keywords: optical system design, geometrical optics, paraxial optics, lens design, IR optics, ray tracing, reflective optics, refractive optics
Table of Contents
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Front Matter
Open Access
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2. Best Shape for a Thin Lens
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8. A Hybrid for Two Wavelengths
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10. The Ball Lens
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11. Seidel and the Pegel Diagrams
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12. The Single-Imaging Mirror
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16. The Plane-Parallel Plate
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17. MTF, Limits, and Pixel Sizes
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18. Details of a Hybrid Lens
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Back Matter
Open Access
Excerpt
1.1 Introduction
Snell's law of refraction is the fundamental law that governs geometrical optics. We begin, therefore, with the proof of this basic rule, as it has been verified by Fermat. We then demonstrate how this surprisingly simple law can be applied to graphical ray tracing. With the equations for paraxial ray tracing, we provide the tool required for the initial optical design phase. These equations are sufficient to determine the third-order aberrations, which will be used throughout the book.
1.2 Fermat's Principle
1.2.1 Historic remarks
Pierre de Fermat was a jurist and mathematician. He pursued his mathematical avocation mostly for his own enjoyment. He formulated his famous theorem in 1657. It declares that light takes the path that requires the least time. His reasoning led to the proof of the law of refraction, which Wilibrord Snel van Royen found experimentally some 20 years earlier. This law of refraction is the foundation of geometrical optics and is stated by
©2009 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers
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