Beyond the ABCDs: A better matrix method for geometric optics by using homogeneous coordinates

TL;DR

This paper introduces an enhanced 3x3 matrix method for paraxial ray tracing in geometric optics, accommodating arbitrary orientations and positions of optical elements, surpassing the limitations of traditional ABCD matrices.

Contribution

It presents a novel 3x3 matrix approach for optical systems in any configuration, enabling more flexible and accurate ray tracing in geometric optics.

Findings

The new matrix method works for arbitrarily oriented optical elements.

It allows direct point imaging using a point transfer matrix.

Demonstrated with multiple practical examples.

Abstract

Geometric optics is often described as tracing the paths of non-diffracting rays through an optical system. In the paraxial limit, ray traces can be calculated using ray transfer matrices (colloquially, ABCD matrices), which are 2x2 matrices acting on the height and slope of the rays. A known limitation of ray transfer matrices is that they only work for optical elements that are centered and normal to the optical axis. In this article, we provide an improved 3x3 matrix method for calculating paraxial ray traces of optical systems that is applicable to how these systems are actually arranged on the optical table: lenses and mirrors in any orientation or position (e.g.~in laboratory coordinates), with the optical path zig-zagging along the table. Using projective duality, we also show how to directly image points through an optical system using a point transfer matrix calculated from the system's ray transfer matrix. We demonstrate the usefulness of these methods with several examples and discuss future directions to expand applications of this technique.