Lens shapes other than conic sections

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
2 replies · 2K views
Messages
7,755
Reaction score
2,173
This is just a curiosity question. Are there lens shapes different than just conic sections? Any research or any found applications?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Lenses can be in any shape, but specific shapes are more useful for specific purposes than others.

For example, check out the aspheric lens, it's described by an infinite geometric sum.

Or also check out the Fresnel lens.