Camera lenses can now be cheaper, sharper as physicist solves 2,000-year-old problem

One of the oldest problems regarding cameras and lenses has finally been solved after almost 2,000 years that will lead to cheaper and sharper, thanks to a physicist.

A Mexican physicist Rafael Gonzalez has finally come up with a dense equation solution to eliminate a 2,000-year-old camera problem of spherical aberration in optical lenses.

As per Gizmodo, spherical aberration is what causes some lenses to be sharp in the middle, but blurrier towards the outer edges. Because of this spherical aberration, camera lenses are very complex and really precise equipment.

Lens manufacturers have been trying to build aspherical lenses to eliminate the effect by modifying the sphere shape a bit for sharpening up the entire image, but this could be expensive and difficult to manufacture. Though some have even succeeded a bit, the firms have been working on a new lens each time, starting over from scratch.

Gonzalez finally made that formula, which looks extremely complex, but is actually the solution for eliminating spherical aberration. The formula basically says that given the lens is made of a specific material, and a given shape on the front side, what shape does the back side need to be to entirely remove all spherical aberration?

The formula is a blueprint for lens makers for designing the lens that completely eliminates the problem, regardless of the lens’ size, material or purpose for use. Gonzalez ran tests simulating the behavior of 500 various light rays, and discovered that the formula met with the real-life results with an average precise rate of 99.9999999999%, reported New Atlas.

Moreover, Gonzalez’s formula should also greatly cut down the trial and error in making lenses. This would most probably lead to simpler, smaller, cheaper, and sharper lenses with fewer elements. Apart from that, this could also help in creating sharper microscope and also help in deep-space telescopy.