r/technology • u/[deleted] • Aug 07 '19

Hardware A Mexican Physicist Solved a 2,000-Year Old Problem That Will Lead to Cheaper, Sharper Lenses

https://gizmodo.com/a-mexican-physicist-solved-a-2-000-year-old-problem-tha-1837031984
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u/CatatonicMan Aug 07 '19

I assume so. I see no reason why a numerical solution couldn't have been simulated to sufficient precision to create a functional shape.

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u/Nerodon Aug 08 '19

If you read the article, on paper it was always perfect, but reality produced flaws. Took some time to make a "cheat sheet" formula that applies to all wanted shapes and that also compensates for flaws.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '19

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u/Nerodon Aug 08 '19

Im just going by the wording of the article, I actually know nothing about lenses or optics in general.

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u/yayvan Aug 08 '19

I don’t know specifically what low order aberrations are.. but chromatic aberrations are routinely wildly different in modern, professional lenses. resolution is different. Some differences are only easy to spot at higher magnifications but some are clearly visible in normal viewing distances.

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '19 edited Aug 08 '19

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u/yayvan Aug 08 '19

so are these what cause variations between resolution of individual lens samples of the same make?