Geometric characteristics and aberration characteristics of conformal dome based on von Karman surface

In this paper, the geometry and aberration characteristics of von Karman conformal domes have been investigated. Based on the theory of differential geometry, the uniform formulas of curvature, which are suitable for von Karman surface, were deduced in the meridian plane and sagittal plane, respectively. According to the formula, the geometry characteristics were analyzed. By using ray tracing, the geometric aberrations and wave aberrations of the von Karman dome were obtained. Further, the aberration characteristics of the von Karman dome with different design parameters were analyzed in depth. The results showed that for the viewing angle changing from 0° to 15°, numerous aberrations, namely, defocus, astigmatism, coma, spherical, trefoil, and tetrafoil were introduced by the von Karman, whose law is similar to its geometric characteristics. The factors with a high impact on aberrations were the aspect ratio, material, and diameter of the entrance pupil.