Design of a pair of aplanatic mirrors

Abstract

In this paper, a new, to the best of our knowledge, differential equation for designing a pair of aplanatic mirrors is introduced. The differential equation is a direct consequence of the Fermat principle and Abbe sine condition. If it is solved, the solution expresses the shape of a pair of mirrors such that they form an aplanatic system. The differential equation has been solved numerically. We have also tested the performance of the pair of mirrors, which is as predicted by the theory.