How can I control the size and location of the Exit Pupil in my optical system during optimization?

Synopsis

Specifying size and location of exit pupil during optimization

Symptoms

The Exit Pupil is the paraxial image of the Aperture Stop in image space. The optics between the Aperture Stop and Image Surface perform this imaging function. In order to change the location and size of the Exit Pupil during optimization, you must allow the optics between the system Aperture Stop and the Image Surface to vary sufficiently so that the Exit Pupil can be positioned and sized as you want.

Solution

There are different approaches you can use:

Specifying paraxial ray angles:
In image space, the combination of the chief and axial ray angles determine where and how large the Exit Pupil is. The Exit Pupil is positioned where the chief ray crosses the optical axis (zero ray height) in image space. The size of the Exit Pupil is determined by the axial ray height at that position. You can specify the angles of these rays (paraxial) as operands in the error function.

Finding and specifying size and position:
The Exit Pupil size and position can be determined using the PXS command from the command line, by clicking on the text window icon, or by inclusion in a CCL. You can create user-defined operands that determine the position and size of the Exit Pupil and then force these values to desired quantities. Directions for creating user-defined operands are found in the online help:

Contents>>Optimization>>User-Defined Error Functions>>Operands>>SCP Components
and
Contents>>Programming>>User-Defined Support Routines>>User-Defined Operands