The dynamic aberrations suppression of conformal optical system by wavefront coding

In conformal optics, the dynamic aberrations of conformal optical system (DACOS) are difficult to correct and would cause serious image degradation. In this work, we propose a method based on wavefront coding (WFC) technology to suppress the DACOS. A conformal dome with highly significant dynamic aberrations (about ±8λ) is established and its aberration characteristics are investigated using Zernike aberration theory. A simple cubic phase mask (CPM) is inserted in its pupil plane to suppress residual dynamic aberrations after preliminary aberration correction. The simulation results show that, the utilization of WFC technology could not only suppress the DACOS efficiently, but also reduce physical imaging elements, which could in turn relax the alignment and fabrication tolerances. This work is of consequence in conformal optical systems design.