Emerging Topics in Freeform Optics

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 1320

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Precision Instrument and Opto-Electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Interests: freeform optical design; fabrication of freeform optics; freeform optical inspection; precision measurement of freeform optics; optical machining and measurement; metrology and characterization; other technologies associated with freeform optics

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Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Northeastern University, NO. 3-11, Wenhua Road, Heping District, Shenyang 110819, China
Interests: intelligent precision manufacturing, including intelligent micro-nano manufacturing of polyhedron optical systems, intelligent precision manufacturing of complex structures and surfaces, precision additive manufacturing of biomaterials, application of robots in precision manufacturing, ultrasonic-assisted efficient precision manufacturing
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Freeform optics is a rapidly evolving subfield of modern optics and is revolutionizing the way we design and utilize optical systems. It breaks the traditional limitations of spherical and aspherical surfaces, allowing for the creation of optical components with complex, non-rotationally symmetric shapes. This flexibility enables the development of optical systems with unprecedented performance, especially in terms of image quality, field of view, and aberration correction. The potential applications of freeform optics are vast and diverse. From consumer electronics such as smartphones and cameras, to scientific instruments like telescopes and microscopes, freeform optics is poised to transform the way we capture, process, and interpret optical information. In addition, it has the potential to revolutionize medical imaging, enabling the development of more accurate and non-invasive diagnostic tools.

In this Special Issue on “Emerging Topics in Freeform Optics”, we invite you to contribute your cutting-edge research in this exciting field. We are particularly interested in papers that address the foll"owing topics:

  1. Fundamental theories and principles of freeform optics, including optical design methods, surface representation techniques, and manufacturing technologies.
  2. Advanced applications of freeform optics in various fields, such as imaging, illumination, and sensing.
  3. Challenges and opportunities in the commercialization of freeform optics, including cost reduction, manufacturing scalability, and integration with other technologies.

Dr. Zexiao Li
Dr. Zixuan Wang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • freeform optical design& modification
  • micro/nanoforming
  • high precision machining of freeform surface
  • micro/nano optics and photonics
  • metrology & characterization of freeform surfaces
  • micro-featured surfaces
  • micro/nanomachining modeling
  • simulation of optical manufacturing
  • optical machining & measurement
  • process monitoring and quality control
  • ultra-precision machining
  • other technologies sssociated with freeform optics

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 7802 KiB  
Article
Adaptive Generation Method for Small Volume Easy Fabrication Freeform Unobscured Three-Mirror Systems Based on Machine Learning
by Yiwei Sun, Yangjie Wei and Ji Zhao
Photonics 2025, 12(5), 405; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12050405 - 22 Apr 2025
Abstract
Freeform unobscured multiple-mirror systems have been widely applied in high-precision optical fields due to their high imaging quality and no chromatic aberration and central obstruction. However, how to design a freeform unobscured multiple-mirror system with small system volume, imaging quality, and low manufacturing [...] Read more.
Freeform unobscured multiple-mirror systems have been widely applied in high-precision optical fields due to their high imaging quality and no chromatic aberration and central obstruction. However, how to design a freeform unobscured multiple-mirror system with small system volume, imaging quality, and low manufacturing difficulty is challenging. This study proposes an adaptive generation method for freeform unobscured three-mirror systems with small volume and ease of fabrication based on machine learning, considering the fabrication constraints, volume limitations, imaging quality, and design efficiency. First, an error function based on volume, fabrication, and imaging quality functions is constructed, and a dataset is generated using this error function. Then, a machine learning model is trained using this dataset, enabling efficient prediction of the parameters for small-volume, easy-to-fabricate freeform unobscured three-mirror systems. Finally, the parameters of the freeform unobscured three-mirror system are predicted using the trained model, and combined with the freeform surface generation method, a freeform unobscured three-mirror imaging system is automatically obtained. Experimental results demonstrate that our method can effectively generate freeform unobscured three-mirror systems that meet the requirements for small volume and easy fabrication, providing a new approach for optical design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Topics in Freeform Optics)
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13 pages, 7196 KiB  
Article
An Analysis and Optimization of Distortion Effect Caused by Pupil Decentering in Optical Gun Scope
by Kaiyu Yang, Ning Jin, Dan Yang, Man Xu and Shulin Dong
Photonics 2024, 11(11), 995; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11110995 - 22 Oct 2024
Viewed by 833
Abstract
During the use of optical gun scopes, slight movements between the human eye and the instrument can cause the pupil to offset from the optical axis, resulting in a dynamic distortion effect. This affects the accuracy and stability of aiming. Based on the [...] Read more.
During the use of optical gun scopes, slight movements between the human eye and the instrument can cause the pupil to offset from the optical axis, resulting in a dynamic distortion effect. This affects the accuracy and stability of aiming. Based on the mechanism, this study established parameters of the centroid’s deviation of image spots for marginal field points under pupil decentering and centering conditions and their differences to quantitatively evaluate the distortion. These evaluation parameters were obtained by performing a double integral calculation of the ray aberration distribution function over the entire designed exit pupil. Based on this evaluation method, three optical design strategies for reducing the distortion were proposed: optimizing ray aberrations, optimizing centroid shift of image spots, and utilizing vignetting effects. An optimization process was established by combining increasing vignetting and suppressing centroid shift. For a gun scope with significant distortion, the distortion effect was significantly weakened by increasing the vignetting factor and optimizing the centroid shift of image spots. This proved the effectiveness of the proposed analysis, evaluation, and optimization design methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Topics in Freeform Optics)
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