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Description
This command performs a paraxial analysis based on a user-defined ray path through the FRED model. The user must define a ray path before this analysis feature becomes available.
Navigation
This command can be accessed in the following ways:
•Menu > Analysis > Paraxial Analysis
•Shift + F3
•Toolbar button: 
Controls
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Control
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Description
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Selected Path
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Menu for selecting the user-defined path.
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Flags
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Indicates the paraxial stop surface, any surfaces that reflect, and any surfaces with tilts or decenters.
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Radius
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Surface radius
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Thickness
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Thickness to the next surface.
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Material
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The material between this surface and the next surface in the user-defined path.
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Semi Aperture
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The semi-aperture of the surface aperture in the FRED model.
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User Values (the white spreadsheet cells)
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Object thickness
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Specifies an object distance for paraxial analysis.
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Image thickness
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Specifies an image distance for paraxial analysis.
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Object Semi-Apert
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Specifies an object height for paraxial analysis.
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Stop Semi-Apert
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Specifies the semi aperture of the stop for paraxial analysis.
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Image Semi-Apert
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Specifies an image height for paraxial analysis.
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Cardinal Points
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Wavelength
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Pull-down menu listing commonly used wavelengths. If the desired wavelength is not available, the user may enter any wavelength.
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Focal Length
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Lists the focal length of the selected user-defined ray path based on the paraxial raytrace.
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Front Principal Plane
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Lists the front principal plane location relative to the first surface in the selected user-defined ray path based on the paraxial raytrace.
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Back Principal Plane
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Lists the back principal plane location relative to the last surface in the selected user-defined ray path based on the paraxial raytrace.
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OK
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Dismiss dialog box.
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Cancel
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Discard changes and dismiss dialog box.
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Help
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Access this Help page.
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Construction
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Generates a listing of the surface number in the path, the surface radii, thickness, and the index at the wavelength selected.
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System Info
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Generates a list of system paraxial data based on the user-defined ray path and paraxial settings.
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Paraxial Trace
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Generates a paraxial raytrace table for all the surfaces in the path.
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Third Order
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Lists the third order aberrations based on the paraxial raytrace.
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Application Notes
Paraxial raytrace settings
There are five values which can be set in the paraxial analysis dialog box, whose spreadsheet cells are white and editable. These quantities define the object distance and size, image distance and size and the stop size. Changing these allows a paraxial analysis to be performed in any configuration. Please note that the diameters of the other surfaces in the spreadsheet do not update when these values are changed.
Additionally, there are eight commands available by right mouse clicking in the spreadsheet area, as described below.
•Make Aperture Stop - Manually set aperture stop for paraxial analysis
•Auto-Select Aperture Stop - Allow automatic selection of aperture stop for paraxial analysis
•Object Numerical Aperture… - Specify stop size by object NA
•Object Working F/#… - Specify stop size by object working f/#
•Image Numerical Aperture… - Specify stop size by image NA
•Image Working F/#… - Specify stop size by image working f/#
•Object Semi-field Angle… - Specify object size by angle
•Image Semi-field Angle… - Specify image size by angle
Non-sequential paths
The user-defined ray path should not have any non-sequential sequences in the ray path. The paraxial information is meaningless if the rays selected for calculating the paraxial data have multiple paths.
Paraxial surface thickness
The paraxial axial thickness between surfaces is really the distance from surface local origin to surface local origin and not surface to surface. Most of the optical surfaces have the local coordinate origin at the vertex of the surface. But there are some surfaces that do not have necessarily have the local coordinate origin at the vertex. For example, Ellipsoid / Hyperboloid surface defined with two foci does not necessarily have the local origin at the surface vertex.
Related Topics
User-defined ray path
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