Design and manufacture of a large field of view thermal infrared catoptric imaging system in an & alpha;Z configuration

A geometry of a catoptric imaging system using three mirrors in an AlphaZ configuration is presented. This geometry allows large field of view and large aperture catoptric systems, useful for optronic pods as an example. A proof of concept with an 18x24 degree full field of view and a F/1.5 aperture is built using slow tool servo and 5 axis machining and characterized in the long wave infrared domain. The built system achieves nearly diffraction limited performance.& COPY; 2023 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement