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Photonics Dictionary

abaxial spherical aberration

Abaxial spherical aberration, also called oblique spherical aberration, refers to a specific type of optical aberration that occurs in lens systems. It is a form of spherical aberration that affects rays passing through the lens at points other than the optical axis (i.e., off-axis or abaxial rays).

In general, spherical aberration is a phenomenon where light rays passing through a lens at different distances from the optical axis fail to converge at a single focal point, resulting in a blurred image. When discussing abaxial spherical aberration:

Abaxial: This term means away from or not situated on the optical axis. It refers to rays that are off-center and pass through the peripheral regions of the lens.

Spherical aberration: This is an optical effect observed in lenses with spherical surfaces where light rays passing through different parts of the lens do not all converge at the same point.

Abaxial spherical aberration thus specifically refers to the imperfect focusing of light rays that are incident on the lens away from the optical axis. This causes these rays to focus at different points along the optical axis, depending on their distance from it, leading to a blurred or distorted image especially noticeable at the periphery of the lens' field of view.

To minimize or correct spherical aberration (including abaxial spherical aberration), optical systems may use aspherical lenses or combinations of multiple lens elements designed to counteract the aberration.
 
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