QC 351 A7 no. 40 / The aim of this study was to determine to what extent a constant spectral response can be obtained for wide-passband interference filters used with wide -angle lenses. We investigated the possibility of using the curvature of the lens surfaces to reduce the shift in the filter passband for large field angles and found that locating the filter on the proper surface will considerably reduce the shift of the passband. Specifically, we determined the distribution of angles of incidence for full aperture pencils incident at several field angles on the second and fourth surfaces of the 90° Geocon IV, the 90° Paxar, and the 125° Pleogon. We then calculated the spectral transmittance of each lens when a wide passband interference filter was located on its second or fourth surface. We also calculated the degree of polarization introduced. From the cases considered, we found that the tracing of an upper and lower marginal (rim) ray at maximum field angle is sufficient to determine the suitability of a surface, the criterion being that, the smaller the angle of incidence at the surface, the better. In addition, we found that, with the filter on the second surface of the Paxar, spectral transmittance changes with field angle were negligible and the modulation due to polarization was about 1 %.

The development of compact imaging systems capable of transmitting high-resolution images in real-time while covering a wide field-of-view (FOV) is critical in a variety of military and civilian applications: surveillance, threat detection, target acquisition, tracking, remote operation of unmanned vehicles, etc. Recently, optical foveated imaging using liquid crystal (LC) spatial light modulators (SLM) has received considerable attention as a potential approach to reducing size and complexity in fast wide-angle lenses. The fundamental concept behind optical foveated imaging is reducing the number of elements in a fast wide-angle lens by placing a phase SLM at the pupil stop to dynamically compensate aberrations left uncorrected by the optical design. In the recent years, considerable research and development has been conducted in the field of optical foveated imaging based on the LC SLM technology, and several foveated optical systems (FOS) prototypes have been built. However, most research has been focused so far on the experimental demonstration of the basic concept using off the shelf components, without much concern for the practicality or the optical performance of the systems. Published results quantify only the aberration correction capabilities of the FOS, often claiming diffraction limited performance at the region of interest (ROI). However, these results have continually overlooked diffraction effects on the zero-order efficiency and the image quality. The research work presented in this dissertation covers the methods and results of a detailed theoretical research study on the diffraction analysis, image quality, design, and optimization of fast wide-angle FOSs based on the current transmissive LC SLM technology. The amplitude and phase diffraction effects caused by the pixelated aperture of the SLM are explained and quantified, revealing fundamental limitations imposed by the current transmissive LC SLM technology. As a part of this study, five different fast wide-angle lens designs that can be used to build practical FOSs were developed, revealing additional challenges specific to the optical design of fast wide-angle systems, such as controlling the relative illumination, distortion, and distribution of aberrations across a wide FOV. One of the lens design examples was chosen as a study case to demonstrate the design, analysis, and optimization of a practical wide-angle FOS based on the current state-of-the-art transmissive LC SLM technology. The effects of fabrication and assembly tolerances on the image quality of fast wide-angle FOSs were also investigated, revealing the sensitivity of these fast well-corrected optical systems to manufacturing errors. The theoretical study presented in this dissertation sets fundamental analysis, design, and optimization guidelines for future developments in fast wide-angle FOSs based on transmissive SLM devices.