Aberration theory is a subject that is as old and fascinating as the field of optics. It
is, however, a cumbersome subject that many students of optics do not appreciate
fully. The purpose of this tutorial book is to provide a clear, concise, and consistent
exposition of what aberrations are, how they arise in optical imaging systems, and
how they affect the quality of images formed by them. Its emphasis is on physical
insight, problem solving, and numerical results. It is intended for engineers and
scientists who have a need and/or a desire for a more thorough understanding of
aberrations and their role in optical imaging and wave propagation. Although some
knowledge of Gaussian optics and an appreciation for aberrations would be useful,
they are not prerequisites. The book is not intended for teaching lens design or
optical testing; however, it is hoped that those working in these fields will benefit
from it. It should be useful to students who want to learn aberration theory without
having to go through lengthy derivations.
In this second edition of Aberration Theory Made Simple, the sign convention for
Gaussian optics has been updated to the Cartesian sign convention, as used in
advanced books on geometrical optics and in the optical design software programs.
New material includes the centroid and standard deviation of ray aberrations, spot
diagrams for primary aberrations, golden rule of optical design about relying on
such diagrams, update of 2D PSFs for primary aberrations, aberration-free optical
transfer function of systems with annular and Gaussian pupils, Zernike polynomials
for circular, annular, and Gaussian pupils, effect of longitudinal image motion on
an image, lucky imaging in ground-based astronomy, and adaptive optics.
