The misalignment induced aberrations of TMA telescopes
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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO
Published on: February 12, 2013
Kevin P Thompson1, Tobias Schmid, Jannick P Rolland
1Optical Research Associates, 3280 E. Foothill Blvd, Suite 300, Pasadena, California 91107, USA. kevin@opticalres.com
Abstract:
The next major space-borne observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, will be a 6.6M field-biased, obscured, three-mirror anastigmat (TMA). Over the used field of view, the performance of TMA telescopes is dominated by 3(rd) order misalignment aberrations. Here it is shown that two dominant 3(rd) order misalignment aberrations arise for any TMA telescope. One aberration, field constant 3(rd) order coma is a well known misalignment aberration commonly seen in two-mirror Ritchey Chretien telescopes. The second aberration, field-asymmetric, field-linear, 3(rd) order astigmatism is a new and unique image orientation dependence with field derived here for the first time using nodal aberration theory.
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