chromatic aberration

Aberrations arising from the wavelength dependence of refraction that result in different colors of light being focused to different points in the axial (Z) directions (all rays) and in the lateral (XY) directions (oblique rays).

Synonyms: chromatic distortion , spherochromatism

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Chromatic Aberration

Chromatic aberrations are wavelength-dependent artifacts that occur because the refractive index of every optical glass formulation varies with wavelength. When white light passes through a simple or complex lens system, the component wavelengths are refracted according to their frequency. In most glasses, the refractive index is greater for shorter (blue) wavelengths and changes at a more rapid rate as the wavelength is decreased.