Sequential differential ray tracing formulation for homogeneous and gradient-index lenses using automatic differentiation

Abstract

.A differential ray tracing (DRT) formulation for the analysis and design of arbitrary optical systems is presented. An approach based on sequential rays is proposed to define a functional representation of the ray path, where the gradient information associated with the ray path is obtained using an automatic differentiation technique. The proposed DRT algorithm is neither constrained to a specific optical system geometry nor restricted to a set of surface types or material definition.