Theory and design of a MEMS-enabled diffraction limited adaptive optical zoom system.

Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) deformable mirrors are known for their ability to correct optical aberrations, particularly when the wavefront is expanded via Zernike polynomials. This capability is combined with adaptive optical zoom to enable diffraction limited performance over broad spectral and zoom ranges. Adaptive optical zoom (AOZ) alters system magnification via variable focal length elements instead of axial translation found in traditional zoom designs. AOZ systems are simulated using an efficient approach to optical design, in which existing theories for telescope objective design and third-order aberration determination are modified to accommodate the additional degrees of freedom found with AOZ. An AOZ system with a 2.7× zoom ratio and 100mm entrance pupil diameter is presented to demonstrate the validity and capability of the theory.