Optimization of three- and four-element lens systems by minimizing the caustic surfaces

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Lens Design
• Aberration Theory

Background:

• Achieving point-to-point image transformation is crucial for imaging optical systems.
• Minimizing ray spread over the image plane is a standard lens design practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply a novel merit function based on caustic surfaces for lens system optimization.
• To evaluate the performance improvement of lenses optimized using this new method compared to conventional techniques.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a merit function using caustic surfaces to quantify spread from an ideal image point.
• Optimization of multiple three- and four-element lens systems using the developed caustic merit function.
• Evaluation of optimized lenses by comparing root-mean-square (rms) blur circle radii against field angle with conventionally designed lenses.

Main Results:

• Minimizing the caustic merit function leads to reduced rms blur radii across the field of view.
• The optimized lens systems exhibit lower overall aberrations.
• Significant performance improvements are observed in systems with large apertures and wide fields of view.

Conclusions:

• The caustic merit function is an effective tool for optimizing lens systems.
• This method offers superior aberration control and image quality, particularly for demanding optical configurations.
• The approach demonstrates a viable alternative to conventional lens design techniques for enhanced optical performance.