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Achromatic Doublet Designer

Design a cemented achromatic doublet from glass pair data. Computes individual element powers and focal lengths using the thin-lens achromatization condition.

An achromatic doublet is a two-element cemented lens designed to bring two wavelengths to the same focal point, eliminating primary chromatic aberration. The design uses a crown glass element (high Abbe number, low dispersion) and a flint glass element (low Abbe number, high dispersion) with powers chosen so their chromatic aberrations cancel. This calculator applies the thin-lens achromatization condition (φ₁/V₁ + φ₂/V₂ = 0 with φ₁ + φ₂ = φ_total) to compute each element's focal length from the target system focal length and the Abbe numbers of the selected glass pair. Use this tool when designing a custom doublet, comparing glass pairs, or verifying a supplier's achromat specification.

System
Crown Glass (Positive Element)
nd = 1.5168  |  Vd = 64.17  |  P = 0.3076
Flint Glass (Negative Element)
nd = 1.6477  |  Vd = 33.82  |  P = 0.3176
Crown Element (Positive)
Power φ₁
0.02114mm⁻¹
Focal length f₁
47.30mm
Flint Element (Negative)
Power φ₂
-0.01114mm⁻¹
Focal length f₂
-89.74mm
Glass Pair Analysis
Abbe number difference ΔV
30.35
Power ratio |φ₁/φ₂|
1.897
Secondary spectrum δf
-0.0329mm
Abridged Optics — Achromatic Doublet Designer v1.0φ₁ = φ·V₁/(V₁−V₂). Thin-lens approximation. P values from SCHOTT catalog.

All information, equations, and calculations have been compiled and verified to the best of our ability. For mission-critical applications, we recommend independent verification of all values. If you find an error, please let us know.