Abstract

The conditions under which a two-element variable power lens can be created are examined. Such a lens is defined as one in which the functional form of the optical effect created does not change as the elements translate with respect to one another—only the magnitude of the effect changes. It is found that only variable power optical effects that can be described by quadratic functions can be formed by laterally translating two-element variable power lenses. In the case of rotationally translating two-element variable power lenses, possible designs are found by mapping possible laterally translating designs from a Cartesian space to the polar coordinate space of the rotationally translating lens.

© 2011 Optical Society of America

Conditions under which two-element variable power lenses can be created. Part 2. Application to specific designs

Charles E. Campbell
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 28(10) 2153-2159 (2011)

Analysis of two-element zoom systems based on variable power lenses

Antonin Miks and Jiri Novak
Opt. Express 18(7) 6797-6810 (2010)

Variable power phase lenses

Charles E. Campbell
Appl. Opt. 44(17) 3438-3441 (2005)

Analysis of three-element zoom lens based on refractive variable-focus lenses

Antonin Miks and Jiri Novak
Opt. Express 19(24) 23989-23996 (2011)

Aberrations and spherocylindrical powers within subapertures of freeform surfaces

Thomas Raasch
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 28(12) 2642-2646 (2011)