Abstract

Descartes described the conditions which allow a single lens with one conic surface to image a point to a point, with no spherical aberration of any order. The results, which depend on the index of the glass, only give a solution for certain conic eccentricities. This paper shows how to generalize Descartes' approach so that any conic can be conveniently tested, providing the size of the piece is not too large.

© 1980 Optical Society of America