optics design max reason

optics design

I have designed optics off and on for decades.  I built my first telescope when I was 13 years old, including making the diffraction-limited optics.  I wrote my first optics design program in 10th grade, and have since written and developed a variety of software to design, analyze and optimize optics and optical systems.  With my software I have invented several optical configurations and designed hundreds of optical systems; conventional photographic lens-systems, oddballs (many for astronomy applications), telescopes, eyepieces, field-correctors, spectrographs, spectrophotometers, film and CCD camera optics, etc.

One version of my optical design software called opus is now open-source, freeware, and being enhanced.  You can view some work-in-progress documentation if you wish, including a truly fascinating illustration of lateral chromatic aberrations courtesy the wavefront-interference image.

The opus-related pages include:
  >>  work in progress documentation
  >>  minimal implementation information - programmers only
  >>  specs and analysis of well-known or interesting optical configurations
  >>  miscellaneous interesting spot images and wavefront-interference images
  >>  ray input pattern effect on spot-diagram images and wavefront-interference images

optical design and analysis application

The following images show output from one of my optical design programs.

name window shows
command enter commands to change optical design or program options, trace, etc.
data optical system design parameters - the more common properties of each optical surface
curves aberration curves - aberration vs zone / field-angle at seven standard colors
design cross-section drawing of optical surfaces and vignette stops and baffle-tubes
spots wavefront / interference images - or - geometric spot diagrams

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---  optical system specs window  ---


---  optical system layout window  ---


---  optical system aberrations window  ---


         ---  geometic spot diagrams  ---                 ---   wavefront interference images  ---   

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