Abstract

Using the electromagnetic equivalent of the Kirchhoff diffraction integral, we investigate the effect of spherical aberration and defocus on the diffraction of Gaussian, uniform, and centrally obscured beams. We find, among other things, that in high-angular-aperture systems suffering from either spherical aberration or defocus the axial intensity distribution is no longer symmetric. Equations are derived for the axial intensity near focus for different beam profiles. Intensity contours in focal and meridional planes are depicted for both ideal and aberrated lenses. It is shown that, contrary to certain previous theories, our theory is valid for both high and low angular aperture systems.

© 1992 Optical Society of America

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