Comparison of off-axis aspheric mirror and conventional spherical mirror

Off-axis aspheric mirrors and conventional spherical mirrors are two optical components that are often used in optical systems, and there are many differences between them. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of these two optical components and their application range will be compared.

Advantages and disadvantages of conventional spherical mirrors

A conventional spherical mirror is an optical element with a spherical surface, which is widely used in optical equipment. Conventional spherical mirrors have the following advantages:

1. Easy to manufacture: The conventional spherical mirror manufacturing process is relatively simple and the cost is low.

2. Spherical mirror to ensure the focus of light: due to the symmetry of the sphere, the conventional spherical mirror can focus the light focus, so that the light is focused to a point, so that the imaging is clear.

3. Small refraction Angle: Because the light is refracted in the same plane, the refraction Angle is small, which is suitable for imaging, light transmission and point light source imaging.

At the same time, conventional spherical mirrors also have some disadvantages:

1. Strong image distortion: Due to the limitations of the conventional spherical mirror manufacturing process, there is a strong image distortion in the imaging of the spherical mirror surface.

2. Easy to produce halo phenomenon: When the spherical mirror accepts large Angle light, it will produce halo, affecting the quality of imaging.

3. Not suitable for imaging large Angle light: due to the symmetry of the spherical mirror, the spherical mirror faces the light perpendicular to the optical axis reflection or refraction effect is poor, not suitable for imaging large Angle light.

Advantages and disadvantages of off-axis aspheric mirrors

Off-axis aspheric mirror is an aspherical surface of the optical element, its advantages and disadvantages are as follows:

1. Eliminate spherical distortion: the off-axis aspheric mirror adopts an aspherical surface design, which can effectively eliminate spherical distortion and achieve true image plane imaging.

2. Suitable for large Angle imaging: the asymmetric design of off-axis aspheric mirrors can improve the imaging ability and can image large Angle light.

3. Reduce the halo: the surface design of the off-axis aspheric mirror can solve the halo problem and make the imaging clearer.

However, off-axis aspheric mirrors also have some disadvantages:

1. High manufacturing difficulty: Due to the complex surface design of off-axis aspheric mirrors, manufacturing costs may be higher.

2. Large refraction Angle: Due to the asymmetry of the off-axis aspheric mirror, the refraction and reflection Angle is large, and high accuracy is required to ensure the quality of the imaging.

Comparison of scope of application

Conventional spherical mirrors are suitable for small and medium-sized optical systems, such as telescopes, microscopes and cameras, and can achieve better imaging quality, but it can not adapt to the requirements of large Angle imaging and complex optical paths.

Off-axis aspheric mirrors are suitable for optical systems, such as high-magnification microscopes, with collimation, achromatic and advantages over spherical mirrors, enabling excellent imaging capabilities and a wide range of applications.

conclusion

In contrast, the off-axis aspheric mirror has more advanced imaging technology and wider application prospects. However, due to the difficulty and high cost of manufacturing, conventional spherical mirrors still occupy a certain market share in some small and medium-sized optical systems.