Chromatic aberration solved using single layer nanosurface

[lynnb]

This seems a significant advance. Harvard scientists have developed a single layer nanosurface that eliminates CA. Report.

"SEAS researchers have developed a so-called metacorrector, a single-layer surface of nanostructures that can correct chromatic aberrations across the visible spectrum and can be incorporated into commercial optical systems, from simple lenses to high-end microscopes. The metacorrector eliminated chromatic aberrations in a commercial lens across the entire visible light spectrum. The device also works for the super-complex objectives with as many as 14 conventional lenses, used in high-resolution microscopes."

“Using metacorrectors is fundamentally different from conventional methods of aberration correction, such as cascading refractive optical components or using diffractive elements, since it involves nanostructure engineering,” says co-author Alexander Zhu. “This means we can go beyond the material limitations of lenses and have much better performances.”

 

[seany65]

Then all we'd need are film/sensors capable of taking advantage of it.

 

[willie_901]

Very interesting!

The report doesn't say if it corrects only longitudinal, axial or both aberrations.

Still the impact on lens design and cost could be significant. The technology might be useful for sensor assembly micro-lens performance too.

 

[markbakovic]

chromatic aberration is just one aberration, its no different if you look at the dispersion on axis or off it, though the fringing may move around. it just selectively waveguides shorter wavelengths on shallower incidence angles to compensate for the dispersion of the glass, making a lens behave like a (first surface) mirror. the impact on lens design will be minimal unless you like single use lenses (because dust) and the cost is not going to be within an order of magnitude of a good coating and 2 more lenses...

 

[michaelwj]

chromatic aberration is just one aberration, its no different if you look at the dispersion on axis or off it, thought the fringing may move around. it just selectively waveguides shorter wavelengths on shallower incidence angles to compensate for the dispersion of the glass, making a lens behave like a (first surface) mirror. the impact on lens design will be minimal unless you like single use lenses (because dust) and the cost is not going to be within an order of magnitude of a good coating and 2 more lenses...

Alternatively, this is a huge breakthrough. Imagine being able to design a lens without having to juggle all the aberrations, instead just correcting for them in a single layer. The impact on lens design could be massive.
Things can get sealed (it’s amazing what engineers can do), and prices come down with further research and development and some production tweaks.
I love where modern optical physics is going.

 

[BernardL]

A remarkable achievement. Not just a design development: they have actually fabricated a corrector. Diameter 1.5mm, though. See full story at: http://sci-hub.se/10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b03567 (you might, or not, have to respond to a captcha). If you don't feel like reading the text, skip to the figures starting at page 19.