Scribd
Upload
62 views2 pages

Learning Lens Design de Rudolf Kingslake (IM3A.4)

Fabrication optique

Uploaded by

DIBI
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
62 views2 pages

Learning Lens Design de Rudolf Kingslake (IM3A.4)

Fabrication optique

Uploaded by

DIBI
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

OSA Optical Design and Fabrication Congress 2021 ©

IM3A.4.pdf
OSA 2021

Learning lens design from Rudolf Kingslake

David H. Lippman, Julie L. Bentley, and Duncan T. Moore


The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester, 480 Intercampus Drive, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
[email protected]

Abstract: Rudolf Kingslake championed the importance of lens design fundamentals


to complement computer-aided design. Kingslake’s original lens design problems were re-
cently uncovered and suggest how lens design’s past has enduring importance today. ©
2021 The Author(s)

1. Introduction
The origin of lens design was largely empirical − noticing what types of lenses worked well together to produce
desirable images [1]. Theoretical formulations appeared in the early 20th century, and arguably the most important
voice was that of Professor Rudolf Kingslake. Kingslake is widely regarded as a forefather of the field of lens
design and is author to the celebrated Lens design fundamentals [2]. Professor Kingslake taught at the Institute of
Optics at the University of Rochester for sixty-three years and was teacher to many of todays most prominent lens
designers, many of whom are themselves mentoring the next generation of students [3].
For much of the 20th century, lens design was dependent on very time-consuming ray tracing performed by
hand, and as a result, considerable forethought was required to efficiently attain an adequate design. These theo-
retical considerations were what Kingslake heralded. As with just about every field, beginning in the 1960s, the
advent of the computer revolutionized how lens design was performed. Suddenly, rays took seconds rather than
minutes to trace, and the future of lens design was on the computer. Kingslake recognized this more than any-
one, presenting “Lens Design Without A Computer” in 1978 at a conference on Computer-Aided Lens Design,
contrasting the past with the future [4]. He also lamented:
“In today’s computer age the main trend of lens design is, unfortunately, to ignore our laboriously
acquired knowledge of geometrical optics and substitute for it the mathematical problem of optimizing
a merit function by varying a large number of design parameters...there is a good prospect that in a
very few years this will become the principal activity of lens designers.” [5]
Although today’s lens design is indeed dominated by “optimizing a merit function,” there is still great value
in Kingslake’s “laboriously acquired” fundamentals since the designer’s understanding is critical for choosing a
starting point and guiding the optimization. There is no question that computers have done wonders for lens design
and have enabled far more advanced designs than thought possible. The issue at hand is that mastery of both
lens design fundamentals and computer software is required for success. Unfortunately, the current educational
landscape places much more emphasis of the latter than the former, and many of the fundamentals impressed by
Kingslake have been lost. One could even make the argument that these fundamentals are more important now
due to their greater potential when used in concert with computer software!

2. Kingslake’s Lens Design Problems


Recently, the lens design fundamentals Rudolf Kingslake impressed upon his students were uncovered in their
original form. A collection of index cards was found containing more than 170 lens design problems written in
Kingslake’s own hand, which he used for decades while teaching at the Institute. Kingslake taught two semesters
on lens design, and the material depicts a comprehensive and rigorous survey of the theoretical fundamentals
of lens design ranging from geometrical optics to aberration theory to different design forms. Each problem is
annotated with the years it was presented on an exam, and many problems include hand-drawn illustrations and
worked out solutions. For some problems, Kingslake also included notes for himself such as “poorly answered”
or “too easy for an exam question.” For an example problem see Fig. 1.
The immense value of this uncovered collection are twofold. First, the problems offer fascinating insight into
what it was like learning lens design from Kingslake himself. They also paint a stark picture of how different
lens design education was just decades ago, prior to computers taking a more central role. The majority of the
problems are mathematical derivations of fundamental concepts one often takes for granted. Second, the problems,
regardless of origin, possess significant intellectual merit. Many problems are nuanced and challenging, requiring
a thorough grasp on fundamentals. For example, one question asks:
OSA Optical Design and Fabrication Congress 2021 ©
IM3A.4.pdf
OSA 2021

“One of the most famous of all photographic objectives is the Goerz Dagor, designed by von Höegh
in 1893. Discuss the construction of this lens in detail, explaining the purpose of each feature of
its construction. How can it be argued that this lens was really a combination of an old and a new
achromat?”

Answering this question requires a wide range of understanding including what the Dagor design form is, why
symmetric triplets were used, and how they relate to old and new achromats. A different problem shown in Fig. 1
considers the “hour-glass aberration” and sketches an interesting phenomenon where the spot changes orientation
through focus.
These two problems depict the complexity and intrigue of Kingslake’s lens design problems. Together,
Kingslake’s problems make a strong case that fundamentals remain important for a designer’s intuition and full
understanding within today’s paradigm of computer-aided lens design.

Fig. 1. Example of a lens design problem from Rudolf Kingslake considering the “hour-glass aber-
ration.” Annotations show the problem was asked in 1971 and 1980 (top). The worked out solution
and hand-drawn sketches are shown on the rear of the card (bottom).

References
1. R. Kingslake, A history of the photographic lens (Academic Press, Boston, 1989).
2. R. Kingslake, Lens design fundamentals (Academic Press, New York, 1978).
3. M. L. Scott, Rudolf Kingslake: a life in optics (Meliora Press, Rochester, NY, 2011).
4. R. Kingslake, “Lens Design Without A Computer,” in Computer-Aided Lens Design, (San Diego, 1978), pp. 58–62.
5. B. J. Thompson, “Editorial: A tribute to Rudolf Kingslake on his 90th birthday,” Opt. Eng. 32, 1717 (1993).

You might also like