This article explains the operation of the MTF operands, and the choice of sampling schemes and algorithms available, and gives guidance on the best way to optimize for best MTF.

Question: What does it mean to do a virtual propagation of rays?

This article is also available in Japanese.

This article explains:

• The meaning of F-Number for optical systems with non-circular stops
• The theoretical basis for the defined effective F-Number in Zemax

This article explains:

• What a ray is
• Rays and wavefronts
• Coordinates, cosines, and propagation
• Refraction, reflection, and diffraction 
• Amplitude. phase and optical path

 

 

This article explains:

• What paraxial rays are
• What parabasal rays are
• Differences between them that can cause confusion

The article is accompanied by a ZIP archive containing the samples used and a macro. This can be downloaded from the final page of the article.

This article explains:

• What is a Point Spread Function?
• The spot diagram
• The FFT PSF
• The Huygens PSF
• How to observe the Huygens integration using a Non-Sequential lens and detector
• How to choose between using the Huygens and FFT based PSF for a sequential lens

The article is accompanied by a ZIP archive containing the sample ZEMAX files used. This can be downloaded from the final page of the article.