Design of a superresolution large-aperture telescopic optical system with a wide field of view.

Abstract

A pupil modulator is a useful tool to improve the resolution of an optical imaging system beyond the classical diffraction limit. However, when this technology is used in a large-aperture telescopic imaging system, the field of view (FOV) with good superresolution (SR) imaging quality is significantly smaller than the designed FOV of the baseline optical system. In this paper, we investigate the influence of various aberrations on the SR properties of a telescopic system using a low sidelobe five-ring pure phase pupil modulator. On this basis, we propose an optimal design method for a wide FOV and a large-aperture telescopic baseline optical system with uniform image quality and a particular residue of symmetric aberration. The design results show that when the optimized 4 m aperture baseline optical system and the modulator are combined as the imaging system, the imaging system has a round and very similar point spread function in the FOV range of 0.28°; the SR gain ratio is 1.234-1.254; and the highest sidelobe intensity is less than 0.1; thus, the system maintains a high resolution ratio and a low sidelobe energy throughout the entire FOV. Finally, a reasonable tolerance model of the baseline optical system is established. The central symmetry tolerances are observed to be loose in this model, thereby reducing the cost and manufacturing difficulty of the system.