Analytical expressions for the wave-front aberration coefficients of a tilted plane-parallel plate

Abstract

An expression is given for the aberration imparted by a tilted plane-parallel plate to a converging or diverging pencil of rays. Analytical expressions for the wave-front aberration coefficients up to the sixth order are derived. These expressions, among others, are of importance when reading an optical disk through its substrate or when using a plane-parallel plate as a beam splitter. Differences with previous expressions from the literature are noted.