The process of solving virtually any optical engineering problem can be broken
down into two main steps:
- Make paraxial calculations (first order) to determine critical parameters such
as magnification, focal length(s), clear aperture (diameter), and object and
image position.
- Choose actual components based on these paraxial values and evaluate their
performance paying special attention to the effects of aberrations. A truly
rigorous performance analysis for all but the simplest optical systems generally
requires computer ray tracing, but simple generalizations can be used, especially
when the lens selection process is confined to a limited range of component shapes.
The optical engineering process is shown in the diagram below. In practice,
step 2 may reveal conflicts with design constraints such as component size, cost,
or availability. System parameters may therefore require modification.
it should be noted that the discussions that follow relate only to systems with
uniform illumination. For optical systems using Gaussian (laser) beams, see
Gaussian Beam Optics.
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