光学工程基础-6. Primary Lens Aberrations.pdfVIP

Chapter 6 Primary Lens Aberrations 6.1 Introduction It is the function of a lens to collect light from a point on the object and to focus that light to a corresponding point (a conjugate point) on the image. In nearly every case the lens will fail at this task, in that there will be some residual error in the precision with which the lens collects, refracts, and focuses that light. Rather than a true point image, the lens will produce a blur circle, i.e., a spot. It is the function of the lens designer to ensure that this spot size is sufficiently small to allow the lens to produce the required resolution, or image quality. These errors in the lens’s ability to form a perfect image are referred to as lens aberrations. There are seven primary aberrations that must be considered when a lens system is being designed or evaluated. By understanding the basic characteristics of these seven primary aberrations, the optical engineer will be better equipped to specify and evaluate the image quality of a lens or an optical system. The following paragraphs will describe the seven primary aberrations and discuss the more important characteristics of each. 6.2 Spot Diagram, Radial Energy Distribution, and Modulation Transfer Function There are several methods of computer analysis available to assist in the visualization and evaluation of the image quality that will be produced by a lens or an optical system. For purposes of this discussion of primary lens aberrations, we will present three of the more commonly used methods: the spot diagram, radial energy distribution, and MTF. A spot diagram is generated by tracing a large number of light rays (typically 200 to 300) from a point on the object, through the lens system, and then onto the image surface of that lens. The spot diagram is cre