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

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

The glass must be achromatic;it must have a small spherical aberration for rays converging to the principal focus.

From On Laboratory Arts by Threlfall, Richard

The centers of curvature of the different rings receded from the axis as their distance from the center increased, in such a manner as to overcome a serious optical defect known as spherical aberration.

From Artificial Light Its Influence upon Civilization by Luckiesh, Matthew