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▪ CONTENTS ◄ 10.2.2.1. Schmidt camera: aberrations ▐ 10.2.2.3. Schmidt telescopes ► 10.2.2.2. Wright and Baker cameras; HyperstarThe similarity between these two camera concepts is that they both use Schmidt corrector with aspherized mirror, although the form of mirror aspherizing is exactly the opposite. In addition, the Baker camera uses sub-aperture corrector as an integral system element. WRIGHT CAMERAIn 1935, just a few years after the introduction of the Schmidt camera, Franklin Wright (Berkley, California) presented his "short" alternative to the original arrangement. He placed Schmidt corrector at the focal plane (FIG. 171A), and aspherized the mirror in order to cancel coma resulting from the altered stop position. While astigmatism remains present in the Wright camera, it conveniently combines with the mirror Petzval curvature to result in a flat best image surface. The Wright design logic can be followed with two simple relations. Knowing that mirror coma changes with a factor 1-(1+K)σ, where K is the mirror conic and σ the mirror-to-stop separation in units of the mirror radius of curvature, and that mirror's best astigmatic surface becomes flat with the stop separation σ=[1-√0.5(1-K)]/(1+K), zero coma requires σ=1/(1+K), which in turn, for the flat-field stop location requires √0.5(1-K)=0. Thus, to a third-order, for zero coma and flat astigmatic field K=1 (oblate ellipsoid) and σ=0.5. Reducing the conic K at this stop location would introduce both, coma and field curvature (the conic is a subject to minor changes in optimizing for the effect of higher-order off-axis aberrations, mainly coma).
With mirror astigmatism changing in proportion to Kσ2+(1-σ)2, for the given values of K and σ, Wright camera astigmatism is 1/2 of the mirror astigmatism with the stop at the surface. That gives the P-V wavefront error (from Eq. 19-20) as W=(αD)2/8R = -Dα2/16F = -h2/16DF3, and the transverse error - as the diameter of the least circle of confusion - T=4FW=-h2/4DF2, where α is the field angle in radians, D the aperture diameter, R the mirror radius of curvature, h the linear height in the image plane and F the mirror focal ratio (the minus sign for transverse aberration indicates that the aberrated ray in tangential plane focuses shorter than perfect reference wavefront). Glance at the properties of the corrector shows that needed aspheric coefficient b for cancelling spherical aberration of the Wright's primary mirror is doubled in comparison to the original Schmidt arrangement. To a third-order, it is given by b=2(K+1)[1-(Λ/16F2)]/R3, which is identical to Eq. 103, except that the mirror aberration coefficient for spherical mirror (1/R3) is now given in its general form: (K+1)/R3. Simpler relations, given by Rutten and Venrooij (p285) for Schmidt corrector camera system in general, give the corrector power (which is the needed aspheric coefficient b normalized to 1) as P=1/σ, and needed conic for an aplanat as K=(1/σ)-1. Doubled aspheric coefficient - or "power" - with respect to the standard Schmidt results in a doubled wavefront error (Eq. 106) and transverse aberration (Eq. 107.1) of spherochromatism. Considering low spherochromatism of the standard Schmidt, it becomes significant only at ~ƒ/2 and faster systems. The need for more strongly aspherized corrector and, especially, strongly aspherized fast mirror (into a rather unpopular type of aspheric shape) is more of a disadvantage. On the good side, Wright camera is only about half the length of the standard Schmidt. Since the corrector nearly coincides with the image plane, it can support film/detector assembly, clearing the optical path from supporting vanes. Wright's flat-field performance is better than that of a comparable standard Schmidt, although it is a mixed bag, considering its inferior axial correction due to spherochromatism. Its geometric off-axis blur size is smaller by a factor of two (FIG. 171B), with the defocus blur diameter in the Schmidt - from Eq. 26, after substituting the image curve depth for L - being given by Bs= h2/2DF2.
In terms of the wavefront error, the flat-field P-V errors are identical in both, Schmidt and Wright, given by W=-h2/16DF3. However, while the off-axis error in the flat-field Schmidt results from defocus, in the Wright camera it is caused by astigmatism. Since the RMS/P-V error ratio is smaller by a factor of √0.5 for astigmatism, the actual quality flat-field radius in the Wright camera is larger by a factor of 1.4. BAKER PARABOLIC CAMERAAmong many of the designs invented by James Baker is a camera that uses paraboloidal mirror (K=-1) with sub-aperture coma corrector. Since the latter also induces under-correction, Baker placed a Schmidt corrector inside the focus of a paraboloid to offset the aberration. The coma corrector also nearly eliminates image curvature and astigmatism generated by the mirror, producing flat, highly corrected field. Originally, the camera was intended for imaging in a limited spectral range (as plots below indicate, green and blue, with the red and violet left out), but it can be modified to have near-perfect correction across the entire visual range, and somewhat into infrared.
The coma corrector also reduces mirror focal length by over 20%, making mirror fabrication relatively easy for camera focal ratios down to ~ƒ/3. The Schmidt corrector, however, is not as weak as its 4th order aspheric parameter might suggests. Using Eq. 102 we find that the focus factor Λ corresponding to the parameter and radius value is 5.06. And Eq. 101 gives the maximum depth (for ρ=1) of nearly 0.03mm, which agrees with ray trace (field lens induces 5-6% more spherical aberration than what the mirror would have, if spherical, hence the corrector is that much stronger than what it would have been for spherical mirror). Since the factor Λ is larger than 2, it implies that the neutral zone is out of the surface, i.e. that the profile is a smooth convex aspheric. What creates this profile depth is the radius value, which is disproportionally strong for the aspheric parameter. Its purpose is not correcting spherical aberration - that is determined by the parameter value alone - rather to minimize spherochromatism by determining longitudinal placement of non-optimized wavelengths. In this particular arrangement, with very low spherochromatism due to the low aspheric parameter (i.e. relatively low amount of the aberration to correct), the primary role of putting the radius on the aspheric is to minimize lateral color error (change in the radius value affects the longitudinal chromatic foci, but not the lateral color error, since the corrector is at the aperture stop and its central portion is practically a plano parallel plate for this weakly curved surfaces). Without it, the needed corrector depth with the 0.707 neutral zone profile would have been less than 2 microns. Some other glass combinations may allow for the weaker, shallower profile - for instance, FPL53/FK5 has a good control of lateral color with the radius value of -155,000mm, resulting in 26% smaller depth. HYPERSTARStarizona's Hyperstar is a camera system created for the standard Celestron SCT telescopes. It works by taking the secondary out and placing a 3-element corrector in front of the primary's focus. Below is the C11 version, according to Smith/Ceragioli/Berry's "Telescopes, Eyepieces, Astrographs", which state that the data is taken from the patent documentation (#7,595,942; should be about 2007/2008). It is similar to the Wynne corrector in configuration. The ray spot plots are given for the plane of the best axial focus, which is somewhat different than in the book (not specified). Also, in the book they are given for the SCT system with a 0.866 neutral zone Schmidt corrector, which includes 6th order aspheric deformation. I don't know is it the configuration used in the patent documentation - which I wasn't able to track down - but it is more likely that the actual Celestron's units use 0.707 neutral zone correctors, which are both, easier to make and have less than half of the spherochromatism (measured as wavefront error) of the 0.866 neutral zone corrector. Since it is relevant for that reason, performance level for this Schmidt corrector configuration is also given. ![]() At the mirror-to-Hyperstar separation given in the book, the residual spherical aberration with the 0.707 Schmidt corrector is over 1 wave p-v. Increasing the separation diminishes the aberration, but introduces field curvature and coma. Shown is the best compromise, with nearly 3mm wider separation and still acceptable 1/2 wave p-v of spherical aberration on axis, as well as only a slight field curvature and still inconspicuous coma. Despite the ray spot plots appearing much larger, it is their dense core what determines the performance, and the corresponding diffraction image at the field edge is actually more compact (note that the color code for diffraction images is different than that for the ray spot plots and wavefront error). Spherical aberration of the original setup, which is just over 0.80 Strehl, can also be reduced by the increase in separation; small box on top shows the ray spot plots and diffraction image for the 0.97 Strehl, which are generally somewhat tighter. Overall, the system, if well aligned, should perform well whenever is the requirement of having ray spot plots and/or diffraction image for this spectral range within 10 micron square. It is to expect that the blur size nearly scales with the aperture, although the field size - angularly larger in the smaller aperture for given linear field - is also a factor.
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