Lens Aberrations

Our analysis of mirrors and lenses assumes rays

make small angles with the principal
axis and the lenses are thin. In this simple
model, all rays leaving a point
source focus at a single point, producing a sharp
image. Clearly, that is not always
true. When the approximations used in this
analysis do not hold, imperfect images
are formed.
Aberrations
The departures of actual images from the ideal
position, predicted by our simplified model are
called Aberrations.
Or
Image error of an optical system is called
Aberration
 Aberrations
• One of the basic problems is the imperfect
quality of the images

Two common types of aberrations exist

– Spherical aberration
– Chromatic aberration
 Chromatic Aberration

• Lenses bend different colors of light through different angles, just

as a prism does
• As a result, different colors do not focus at the same point, and
stars viewed through a telescope that uses a simple lens are
surrounded by fuzzy, rainbow-colored halos
 Spherical aberration
• Spherical aberration occurs when rays away
from the paraxial region do not intersect at
the paraxial focus.
 Paraxial ray…

Paraxial ray

A paraxial ray is an optical ray traced “near” the optical

axis.
 Paraxial focus…

Paraxial focus

Paraxial ray

The paraxial focus is where the paraxial ray crosses the optical axis
after refraction by the lens.
 Positive spherical aberration…

Off axis ray (positive spherical )

Paraxial focus

Paraxial ray

When an off-axis ray is refracted by the lens and crosses the axis in
FRONT of the paraxial focal point, the ray exhibits POSITIVE
spherical aberration.
 Negative spherical aberration…

Off axis ray (positive spherical)

Paraxial focus

Paraxial ray

Off axis ray (negative spherical)

When an off-axis ray is refracted by the lens and crosses the axis in
BACK of the paraxial focal point, the ray exhibits NEGATIVE spherical
aberration.
 Combinations of Thin Lenses

• The image produced by the first lens is calculated

as though the second lens were not present
• The light then approaches the second lens as if it
had come from the image of the first lens
• The image of the first lens is treated as the object
of the second lens
• The image formed by the second lens is the final
image of the system
 Combination of Thin Lenses, 2
• If the image formed by the first lens lies on the back
side of the second lens, then the image is treated at
a virtual object for the second lens
– p will be negative
• The overall magnification is the product of the
magnification of the separate lenses
Combination of Thin Lenses, example
 Atmosphere transparency

• The Earth’s atmosphere absorbs much of the radiation that

arrives from space
• The atmosphere is transparent chiefly in two wavelength ranges
known as the optical window and the radio window
• A few wavelengths in the near-infrared also reach the ground
 Polarization
Polarization generally just means “orientation.” It
comes from the Greek word polos, for the axis of
a spinning globe. Wave polarization occurs for
vector fields. For light (electromagnetic waves)
the vectors are the electric and magnetic fields,
and the light’s polarization direction is by
convention along the direction of the electric
field.
 Polarization

Polarization is the restriction of the vibrations in

a wave so that the vibrations occur in a single
plane.

It only occurs in transverse waves, such as

electromagnetic waves.
1. Polarized light & non-polarized
light

- A light wave is emitted when an electron

orbiting round a nucleus drops from a
higher energy level to a lower energy level.

- The transition of the electron produces a

light wave.
 Polarized light

Vertical polarized light Horizontal polarized

wave from an electron light wave from an
orbiting in the vertical electron orbiting in the
plane. horizontal plane.
 Non-polarized light

- The light from a source such as candle flame,

a filament lamp or the sun is non-polarized.
- This is because the light waves are from
different atoms whose electrons experiencing
the transition are orbiting in different planes in
all directions.
Polarized light
 Polarization

• Polarization of light by
selective absorption is
analogous to that
shown in the diagrams.
 Polaroid
• Polaroid is made from long chain molecules oriented
with their axis perpendicular to the polarizing axis;
these molecules preferentially absorb light that is
polarized along their length.

Polarizing axis
 Explanation of Polarization

• An electric field E that oscillates parallel to the

long molecules can set electrons into motion
along the molecules, thus doing work on them
and transferring energy. Hence, E gets absorbed.
 Explanation of Polarization

• An electric field E perpendicular to

the long molecules does not have
this possibility of doing work and
transferring its energy, and so
passes through freely.
• When we speak of the axis of a
Polaroid, we mean the direction
which E is passed, so a polarizing
axis is perpendicular to the long
molecules.
 Light as an electromagnetic wave

Light is a transverse wave,

an electromagnetic wave
Mathematical description of the EM
wave

Light wave that propagates in the z direction:


E x (z, t )  E 0x cos( kz -  t) î

E y (z, t )  E 0y cos(kz -  t   ) ĵ
 Vertically polarized light

E x (z, t )  E 0x cos( kz -  t) î

E y (z, t )  E 0y cos(kz -  t   ) ĵ

If there is no amplitude in x (E0x = 0), there is

only one component, in y (vertical).
 Elliptical Polarization

E x (z, t )  E 0x cos( kz -  t) î
One can go from: 
E y (z, t )  E 0y cos(kz -  t   ) ĵ

to the equation of an ellipse (using trigonometric

identities, squaring, adding):

2
 Ex   Ey 
2
E Ey
     2 x
cos  sin 2 
 
 E 0x   E 0y  E 0x E 0y

31
Elliptical polarization
 Circular polarization

E x (z, t )  E 0x cos( kz -  t) î

E y (z, t )  E 0y cos(kz -  t   ) ĵ

If the phase difference is = 90º and E0x = E0y

then: Ex / E0x = cos  , Ey / E0y = sin 
and we get the equation of a circle:
2
 Ex   Ey 
2

      cos2  sin 2  1
E 
 E 0x   0y 
Polarization
Circular polarization
Circular polarization
A left-handed/clockwise circularly polarized wave as defined
from the point of view of the source. It would be considered
right-handed if defined from the point of view of the
receiver.
A Right-handed/counter-clockwise circularly polarized wave as
defined from the point of view of the source. It would be
considered left-handed if defined from the point of view of the
receiver.
Elliptical polarization