Optical Design Fundamentals For Infrared Systems

The practical, popular 1995 tutorial has been thoroughly revised and updated, reflecting developments in technology and applications during the past decade. New chapters address wave aberrations, thermal effects, design examples, and diamond turning.

This tutorial text focuses on the optics and detector aspects of infrared system design. It introduces the terminology, processes, and instrument design techniques available. Design examples are based on real problems investigated by the author.

This tutorial covers infrared design examples in considerable detail, building on principles presented in an earlier text, 'Introduction to Infrared System Design' (SPIE PRESS Vol. TT24). The text explores a range of problems illustrating several design issues, with applications in military, industry, aeronautics, space, and medicine, among others.

This tutorial explains the human eye, its function, and performance limits from the perspective of an experienced optical engineer and lens designer. It is concise and readable, with examples and data, and is intended for students, practicing engineers, and technology users.

This work provides a basic understanding of the physical background and engineering considerations required for the design of IR systems, examining all components and combining them into examples of current surveillance systems. This second edition presents: new coverage of state-of-the-art optical systems, including lightweight mirrors and adaptiv

This text is written for engineers and scientists who have some experience in the field of optics and want to know more about the details and derivations of equations used in optical design. Organized by topic, the book begins with the fundamental law of geometrical optics, Snell's law of refraction, and states the paraxial ray trace equations, then moves on to thin lenses and increasingly more sophisticated components and multi-element systems. Each topic is covered in depth and provides comprehensive information on performance and limitations. While the text is based on general optical laws, special emphasis has been placed on the two major infrared regions--the mid-wave (MWIR) and the long-wave (LWIR). This is particularly important with regard to diffractive hybrids, which have found their place in these long-wavelength areas for the correction of chromatic aberrations and athermalization. Comments relating to single-point diamond turning have also been included because this process is predominantly used to produce optical elements for the infrared regions.

The choice of available infrared (IR) detectors for insertion into modern IR systems is both large and confusing. The purpose of this volume is to provide a technical database from which rational IR detector selection criteria evolve, and thus clarify the options open to the modern IR system designer. Emphasis concentrates mainly on high-performance IR systems operating in a tactical environment, although there also is discussion of both strategic environments and low- to medium-performance system requirements.