Simplifying numerical ray tracing for characterization of optical systems

Effect of Catadioptric Component Postposition on Lens Focal Length and Imaging Surface in a Mirror Binocular System

The binocular vision system is widely used in three-dimensional measurement, drone navigation, and many other fields. However, due to the high cost, large volume, and inconvenient operation of the two-camera system, it is difficult to meet the weight and load requirements of the UAV system. Therefore, the study of mirror binocular with single camera was carried out. Existing mirror binocular systems place the catadioptric components in front of the lens, which makes the volume of measurement system still large. In this paper, a catadioptric postposition system is designed, which places the prism behind the lens to achieve mirror binocular imaging. The influence of the post prism on the focal length and imaging surface of the optical system is analyzed. The feasibility of post-mirror binocular imaging are verified by experiments, and it is reasonable to compensate the focal length change by changing the back focal plane position. This research laid the foundation for the subsequent research on the 3D reconstruction of the novel mirror binocular system.

Examining the Effects of Chromatic Aberration, Object Distance, and Eye Shape on Image-Formation in the Mirror-Based Eyes of the Bay Scallop Argopecten irradians

The eyes of scallops form images using a concave spherical mirror and contain two separate retinas, one layered on top of the other. Behavioral and electrophysiological studies indicate that the images formed by these eyes have angular resolutions of about 2°. Based on previous ray-tracing models, it has been thought that the more distal of the two retinas lies near the focal point of the mirror and that the proximal retina, positioned closer to the mirror at the back of the eye, receives light that is out-of-focus. Here, we propose three mechanisms through which both retinas may receive focused light: (1) chromatic aberration produced by the lens may cause the focal points for longer and shorter wavelengths to fall near the distal and proximal retinas, respectively; (2) focused light from near and far objects may fall on the distal and proximal retinas, respectively; and (3) the eyes of scallops may be dynamic structures that change shape to determine which retina receives focused light. To test our hypotheses, we used optical coherence tomography (OCT), a method of near-infrared optical depth-ranging, to acquire virtual cross-sections of live, intact eyes from the bay scallop Argopecten irradians. Next, we used a custom-built ray-tracing model to estimate the qualities of the images that fall on an eye’s distal and proximal retinas as functions of the wavelengths of light entering the eye (400–700 nm), object distances (0.01–1 m), and the overall shape of the eye. When we assume 550 nm wavelength light and object distances greater than 0.01 m, our model predicts that the angular resolutions of the distal and proximal retinas are 2° and 7°, respectively. Our model also predicts that neither chromatic aberration nor differences in object distance lead to focused light falling on the distal and proximal retinas simultaneously. However, if scallops can manipulate the shapes of their eyes, perhaps through muscle contractions, we speculate that they may be able to influence the qualities of the images that fall on their proximal retinas and—to a lesser extent—those that fall on their distal retinas as well.

Simplifying numerical ray tracing for two-dimensional non circularly symmetric models of the human eye

Ray tracing is a powerful technique to understand the light behavior through an intricate optical system such as that of a human eye. The prediction of visual acuity can be achieved through characteristics of an optical system such as the geometrical point spread function. In general, its precision depends on the number of discrete rays and the accurate surface representation of each eye's components. Recently, a method that simplifies calculation of the geometrical point spread function has been proposed for circularly symmetric systems [Appl. Opt.53, 4784 (2014)]. An extension of this method to 2D noncircularly symmetric systems is proposed. In this method, a two-dimensional ray tracing procedure for an arbitrary number of surfaces and arbitrary surface shapes has been developed where surfaces, rays, and refractive indices are all represented in functional forms being approximated by Chebyshev polynomials. The Liou and Brennan anatomically accurate eye model has been adapted and used for evaluating the method. Further, real measurements of the anterior corneal surface of normal, astigmatic, and keratoconic eyes were substituted for the first surface in the model. The results have shown that performing ray tracing, utilizing the two-dimensional Chebyshev function approximation, is possible for noncircularly symmetric models, and that such calculation can be performed with a newly created Chebfun toolbox.

Design optical antenna and fiber coupling system based on the vector theory of reflection and refraction

A Cassegrain antenna system and an optical fiber coupling system which consists of a plano-concave lens and a plano-convex lens are designed based on the vector theory of reflection and refraction, so as to improve the transmission performance of the optical antenna and fiber coupling system. Three-dimensional ray tracing simulation are performed and results of the optical aberrations calculation and the experimental test show that the aberrations caused by on-axial defocusing, off-axial defocusing and deflection of receiving antenna can be well corrected by the optical fiber coupling system.