Aberration Theory Made Simple

Book excerpt: This book provides a clear, concise, and consistent exposition of what aberrations are, how they arise in optical imaging systems, and how they affect the quality of images formed by them. The emphasis of the book is on physical insight, problem solving, and numerical results, and the text is intended for engineers and scientists who have a need and a desire for a deeper and better understanding of aberrations and their role in optical imaging and wave propagation. Some knowledge of Gaussian optics and an appreciation for aberrations would be useful but is not required.