Reflective optics is used widely in space optical systems for their achromatization, large aperture and lightweight compared with refractive systems. Four-mirror system especially off-axis system is desired for its excellent imaging performance and compact structure. Aberration theory of coaxial four-mirror system based on PW method is analyzed and the design procedure is proposed to get the initial four-mirror system in this paper. A large field off-axis four-mirror system is designed based on the theory and the design process. The system contains four conic aspheric mirrors. It has a 2°×0.32° rectangular field of view. The MTF of the system is diffraction-limited and the distortion is less than 0.1%. The structure of the system is compact and the ratio of total axis length to focal length is about 1/3.9. The excellent imaging performance and compact structure make it adaptable to space remote sensing systems.

Date Published: 9 November 2010
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 7849, Optical Design and Testing IV, 784930 (9 November 2010); doi: 10.1117/12.871717

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7849:
Optical Design and Testing IV
Yongtian Wang; Julie Bentley; Chunlei Du; Kimio Tatsuno; Hendrik P. Urbach, Editor(s)