Design a conformal optical system based on Fermat's principle.

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Optics
• Precision-Guided Systems

Background:

• Conformal optical systems are crucial for precision-guided weapons.
• Traditional designs require correctors for dynamic aberrations in ellipsoidal domes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel method for designing conformal optical systems.
• To eliminate the need for correctors in these systems.
• To leverage Fermat's principle for simplified optical design.

Main Methods:

• Designing conformal optical systems based on Fermat's principle.
• Ensuring equal optical path distances (OPD) for rays entering at different angles.
• Calculating the inner dome surface for identical OPD, effectively treating the ellipsoidal dome as spherical.

Main Results:

• A novel conformal optical system was designed without a corrector.
• The system achieved an identical optical path distance (OPD) for varying look angles.
• Demonstrated feasibility for mid-wave infrared (3.7-4.8µm) applications with specific parameters (fineness ratio 1, diameter 120mm, FoR ±60°, F-number 1.2).

Conclusions:

• Fermat's principle provides a feasible method for designing corrector-free conformal optical systems.
• This approach simplifies the optical design for applications like precision-guided weapons.
• The developed method offers a viable alternative to traditional corrector-based systems.