Lens Design

4.0 credits

A review of geometrical optics and 3rd order aberration theory. Specification documents. Image assessment: ray intercept plots, wavefront analysis, spot diagrams, MTFs, and point spread functions. Optimization theory, damped least squares, global optimization, merit functions, variables and constraints. Glass, plastic, UV and IR materials. Aspheres, GRINs, and diffractive optics. Secondary spectrum, spherochromatism, higher order aberrations. Induced aberrations. Splitting and compounding lens elements. Aplanats and anastigmats. Refractive design forms: landscape lens, achromatic doublet, Cooke triplet, Double Gauss, Petzval lens, wide angle, telephoto, and eyepieces. Reflective design forms: parabola, Cassegrain, Schmidt, Ritchey Cretian, Gregorian, three mirror anastigmat, and reflective triplet. Computer aided lens design exercises using CodeV - includes a 4-6 week individual lens design project.