spherical aberration

American  

noun

1. variation in focal length of a lens or mirror from center to edge, due to its spherical shape.

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spherical aberration British  

noun

1. physics a defect of optical systems that arises when light striking a mirror or lens near its edge is focused at different points on the axis to the light striking near the centre. The effect occurs when the mirror or lens has spherical surfaces See also aberration

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spherical aberration Scientific  

/ sfîr′ĭ-kəl /

1. See under aberration

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Etymology

Origin of spherical aberration

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spherical aberration

We moved the secondary mirror in and out of focus in order to sample the spherical aberration at different levels.

From Nature

In front of it, to bring the light to a focus without "spherical aberration," is a correcting plate so slightly curved that it looks like plain sheet glass.

From Time Magazine Archive

But when the first image came back, it was blurry owing to a flaw known as spherical aberration.

From Nature

At the earliest period of the employment of the camera obscura, a double-convex lens was used to produce the image; but this form was soon abandoned, on account of the spherical aberration so caused.

From American Hand Book of the Daguerreotype by S. D. (Samuel Dwight) Humphrey

We have now reviewed the three chief defects of a lens—chromatic aberration, spherical aberration, and distortion—and have seen how they may be remedied.

From How it Works Dealing in simple language with steam, electricity, light, heat, sound, hydraulics, optics, etc., and with their applications to apparatus in common use by Archibald Williams