Abstract

The diffraction focus (or best focus) is calculated for an optical system that contains small aberrations. By assuming that the wave aberration function is known with respect to an arbitrary point in the image region, we obtained simple analytical expressions of the diffraction focus coordinates for any geometry of the pupil. The method can be easily worked out on a computer by ray tracing. A comparison is done with the method that is based on the displacement theorem.

© 1992 Optical Society of America

Intensity and resolution at the diffraction focus of optical systems with rotationally symmetric aberration functions

Claudio Rivolta
Appl. Opt. 31(22) 4444-4452 (1992)

Exact sine condition in the presence of spherical aberration

Masato Shibuya
Appl. Opt. 31(13) 2206-2210 (1992)

Depth of focus of optical systems with a small amount of spherical aberration

Claudio Rivolta
Appl. Opt. 29(22) 3249-3254 (1990)

Evaluation of optical aberrations in point images

John S. Loomis
Appl. Opt. 31(13) 2211-2222 (1992)

Least-squares fitting of orthogonal polynomials to the wave-aberration function

J. L. Rayces
Appl. Opt. 31(13) 2223-2228 (1992)