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How does chromatic aberration affect images formed by a single lens?
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Chromatic aberration causes color distortion in images formed by a single lens because the refractive index of glass varies with the wavelength of light.12
Because the refractive index is lowest at the red end of the spectrum, a lensās focal length is greater for red and green light than for blue and violet light. This results in the lens failing to focus all colors in the same plane, leading to two primary types of distortion:3
- Longitudinal chromatic aberration: The variation of image distance with wavelength, meaning different colors focus at different points along the optical axis.13
- Lateral chromatic aberration (chromatic difference of magnification): The variation of magnification with wavelength, which affects the image perpendicular to the optical axis.13
These effects cause the image to appear blurred or fringed with color. High-grade optical systems correct these issues by combining lenses of different materials, such as low-dispersion crown glass and high-dispersion flint glass, to create an achromatic system.13