Optical modeling and analysis of laser centering tester

The decentration error of an optical lens has a significant effect on the quality of the image it produces. Accordingly, this study employs skew ray tracing based on a 4×4 homogeneous coordinate transformation matrix and Snell's law to develop a detailed methodology for determining the decentration error of an optical lens using a laser centering tester. The current experimental and simulation results yield two important findings: (1) the decentration error and the radius of spot circle on the detector of the laser centering tester, when laser ray passes through the measured lens, are related by a linear approximation when the decentration error is small; and (2) an approximate value of the decentration error can be obtained by taking the first-order differentiation of the mathematical expression for the decentration error. The methodology presented in this study provides a comprehensive and robust approach for evaluating the optical properties of a lens using a laser centering tester.