Transversal aberrations at arbitrary Hartmann-plane distances: application in the least-squares fitting of Hartmann...

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Aberration Analysis
• Wavefront Sensing

Background:

• Previous work introduced transversal aberrations {U,V} at arbitrary Hartmann-plane distances.
• These aberrations can estimate wave aberration (W) and classical transversal aberrations {X,Y} at a theoretical plane z=f.
• Ray identification at z=f can be difficult in optical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose the use of {U,V} aberrations for least-squares fitting of Hartmann data.
• To provide a practical alternative when ray identification at z=f is problematic.
• To analyze the utility of {U,V} for estimating W and {X,Y} aberrations.

Main Methods:

• Calculation of transversal aberrations {U,V} at arbitrary Hartmann-plane distances.
• Least-squares fitting of Hartmann data using {U,V} aberrations.
• Analysis of simple examples with aberration terms up to the third order.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the utility of {U,V} for estimating W and {X,Y} aberrations.
• Showcased the effectiveness of {U,V} in cases with difficult ray identification at z=f.
• Validated the method for optical applications with the hypothesis f≫W.

Conclusions:

• Transversal aberrations {U,V} provide a valuable tool for optical system analysis.
• The proposed method enhances the accuracy of aberration estimation in challenging scenarios.
• This technique is particularly useful for standard optical applications where f≫W.