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Design of freeform mirrors using the concentric rings method

Jorge González-García, Agustin Santiago-Alvarado, Angel S. Cruz-Félix

PII: S2405-8440(23)01436-6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14229
Reference: HLY 14229

To appear in: HELIYON

Received Date: 24 October 2022

Revised Date: 22 February 2023
Accepted Date: 26 February 2023

Please cite this article as: , Design of freeform mirrors using the concentric rings method, HELIYON
(2023), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14229.

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 Design of freeform mirrors using the concentric rings method

Jorge González-García1, Agustin Santiago-Alvarado2, Angel S. Cruz-Félix*3

1
Physics and Mathematics Institute, Technological University of the Mixteca, Carretera a Acatlima km 2.5,
Huajuapan de León, Oaxaca, Mexico, C. P. 69000, email: jgonzal@mixteco.utm.mx
2
Postgraduate Studies Division, Technological University of the Mixteca, Carretera a Acatlima km 2.5,
Huajuapan de León, Oaxaca, Mexico, C. P. 69000, email: santiago@mixteco.utm.mx
3
Optics Coordination, National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics, Luis Enrique Erro No.1, Sta.
Ma. Tonantzintla, Puebla, Mexico, C. P. 72840, email: sinue@inaoep.mx

*Corresponding author

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Abstract.

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Through the methodology of optical surface design based on concentric rings, this paper proposes the

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design of freeform mirrors, initially by employing segmented rings, each of them with different
spherical radii of curvature, and then by employing segmented conic rings with different conic

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constants in each of the segments. These surfaces will then produce the desired images. For the case
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of segmented spherical rings, mathematical expressions were deduced to obtain the image points as
a function of the radii of curvature. Furthermore, it is shown that in the case where conic rings were
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used, there is a decrease in spherical aberration, which allows the manipulation of the generated
image. Finally, several proposals are presented for the design of mirrors to generate both the desired
size of the image and the desired distribution of energy, together with their analyses.
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Keywords: freeform surface, segmented mirror, concentric rings method

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Introduction.
Developing optical devices has always represented a significant challenge since fulfilling the
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objectives with the desired requirements and performance at a low cost is not always possible. The
design and production of optical systems has changed over time, mainly due to advancements in
innovation and technology, from the use of optical components with spherical and plane profiles to
more complex surfaces such as conics, Fresnel, toroidal, and most recently, freeform surfaces, such
as the ones used in telescopes, illumination and concentration systems [1, 2]. Furthermore, the
materials employed in the manufacture of these components have included metal, glass, carbon fiber,
and polymers with reflecting film, etc. [3].
A common approach to the design of a component starts with an initial design being able to reduce a
certain amount of optical aberrations. From this, convergence must be achieved to a well-corrected
minimum in the optimization process [4]. It is well known that freeform surfaces make use of many
variables in the optimization process, which is one of the reasons they are considered.
Some of the current optical design software programs have incorporated aspheric surfaces, tolerance
measuring tools, and even the use of freeform surfaces in their libraries. However, there should be
some degree of caution when using this software due to the various engineering challenges in their
development and understanding of appropriate theories, optimization techniques, mathematical
descriptions, and their application in manufacturing and testing methods [5].
There is no unique methodology for designing all freeform surfaces, as this depends on the specific
application [6]. Various methods for the design of freeform surfaces are found in the literature, such
as the direct method [7, 8, 9], simultaneous multiple surfaces (SMS) [6, 7, 10, 11, 12], point-to-point
mapping, through the Monge-Ampère differential equation [13, 14], the construction-iteration
method [15], quadric [12, 16], feedback [12], NURBS [6, 17], through the Wassermann-Wolf
differential equation, geometric and variational adaptation, [6, 18, 19, 20, 21], Fermat´s [7, 18, 19],
two grids of equi-spatial equi-flow [14], automated from an initial design [7, 22], description and
reimplementation of real freeform surfaces, vectorial aberration [4], field extension construction [8],
through the perturbing coaxial system, field or aperture, and, union and fusion [9], among other
techniques.
Each method adopts a particular mathematical description of the freeform surface, which may be
local or global, and they implement either radial basis, splines, wavelets, or hybrid functions. With
this approach, common choices for the global description are the set of Zernike and 2D-Q

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polynomials, and non-orthogonal bases such as X-Y polynomials may still be used. Furthermore, the

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set of Chebyshev polynomials and the nodal aberration theory have recently been employed to
analyze off-axis and misaligned systems [5, 7, 10, 17].

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Regarding the mathematical description, the following models are found for the design of freeform
surfaces: (i) X-Y polynomials: non-orthogonal basis and they cannot be well-adapted to circular
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shapes which results in the inclusion of an unnecessary compensatory term [6, 13, 17, 23]; (ii) Zernike
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polynomials: not ideal for optimization if the freeform surface is located at a long distance from the
system pupil or if the pupil does not have a circular shape [7, 13, 17, 23]; (iii) ϕ-polynomials: they
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differ from the original set of Zernike polynomials in their scheme configuration and they are helpful
for applying the design in manufacturing [13]; (iv) Q-polynomials: the description of the freeform
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surface is related to the surface sag through the polynomial coefficients [13, 17, 24]; (v) anisotropic
radial basis functions: the main benefit of implementing these surfaces is that they compare well with
other local and selected global representations and are not restricted by a domain shape [25].
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On the other hand, optical systems are classified regarding their applications as imaging systems,
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illumination systems, and light concentration systems, or regarding their symmetry as systems with
two orthogonal symmetry planes, systems with a symmetry plane, non-rotational symmetric systems,
and asymmetric systems [7].
Optical designers face several challenges when designing an optical system. In the case of imaging
systems designed to reduce optical aberrations [13, 26], they begin with a start design or initial plane
to optimize with freeform surfaces [13, 15, 27], or they make use of the nodal aberration theory for
tilted, decentered and freeform systems [13]. The obstacles that need to be overcome include the high
degrees of freedom and the interpretation and control of aberrations since the complexity of the merit
function is increased, meaning that new design methods for optimizations must be developed.
In the case of illumination systems, radiation transfer needs to be optimized, and an integral
methodology is often required [13, 19, 24]. However, other methods are implemented in specific
cases, such as the brute force method, the Monge-Ampère differential equation, the Mapping method
[13, 14, 16, 28], and the inverse problem or tailoring [28, 16].
Moreover, the development of special algorithms for freeform illumination systems allows the design
of one or several freeform surfaces so that the light emitted from a source is redirected to produce the
desired illumination [12].
Finally, regarding the design of light concentration systems, the designer must contemplate several
variables, such as the desired shape of energy concentration, the concentration ratio, the power of
concentration, the radiation flux uniformity, the optical performance, the amount of aberrations, the
material and shape of the reflector, the intensity of solar radiation, the dish diameter, the aperture
area, and the focal length [1-3], among others. Other factors to consider include the ensemble
components used for construction and the type of the collector, such as parabolic trough, dish, tower,
Fresnel, as well as facets, either in one piece or segmented [2, 3, 29]. The design methods used for
these systems are the same as those used in illumination systems. In addition, a method is found that
uses a dish-type comprised of concentric rings to generate the desired spot size [30, 31].
This work presents a design methodology for the development of freeform or aspheric optical systems
based on a dish-shaped mirror formed by segmented concentric rings, which will allow the formation
of a specific and desired image as well as the desired areas of radiation concentration. Such a method
can be used to design several optical instruments by the adequation of an optimization function as a

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sole requirement. In the following sections, the problem to solve and the design of symmetric and

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asymmetric mirrors are described in order to generate the desired spot size and specific shapes.
Finally, a discussion and conclusions are presented.

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2. Design methodology.

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Several proposals for lens designs can be found in the literature where the concept of surfaces
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comprised of spherical concentric rings has been employed, i.e., each ring has a different radius of
curvature, and they can generate the desired image at a specific location [30]. Furthermore, this
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approach is also used in the design of mirrors to generate the desired spot size for solar concentration
applications [30, 31]. In this direction, and with this concept in mind, a design method for aspheric
or freeform concave mirrors is proposed, where its surface is comprised of a set of segmented
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spherical concentric rings, with each segment having a different radius of curvature.
The proposed methodology will be applied to the design of a dish-type mirror, considering that its
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surface consists of a set of m spherical rings with different radii of curvature rm, as shown in figure 1.
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Figure 1. Diagram of a mirror design with a surface comprised of a set of m spherical rings.
A stage of optimization is applied to the start design considering two specific cases. The first case
considers that the radii of curvature of the rings is variable to obtain the design of aspheric surfaces
which will result in a mirror that generates a desired size of an image. The second case contemplates
a stage of optimization where each ring is comprised of a set of segments (see figure 2), and each
segment has a different radius of curvature in order to obtain the design of freeform surfaces. That is
to say, a mirror design with non-rotational symmetry that generates images with a desired non-
rotational shape. An exact ray trace was performed in order to achieve this [32]. Figure 2 shows the
terminology that was followed for the description of the segments, with each ring comprised of n
segments.

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Figure 2. The mirror surface design comprises m spherical rings, and each ring is formed by n
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segments, with each segment having a different radius of curvature.

General ray-tracing equations for spherical surfaces were implemented to the start design for both
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non-segmented rings and segmented rings [32]. In the case of a mirror ray tracing, after algebraic
manipulation of the equations, a set of equations was derived that provided the coordinates of the
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image points (defined as the (𝑧𝑠𝑖 , 𝑦𝑧𝑖 ) coordinates in the image plane of the simulated image or
generated image, whose coordinates system was defined in each plane according to the exact ray
tracing method [32]) through the initial parameters of the optical system, given by:

(1 − c  ) ( −2c y t + 2c  y ) + 2c  y t − 2c y t + 4c  y + 6c  y t ,
1
2 2 2 2 2 3 2 4 4 5 4

=y +
1 1 i 1 1 i 1 i 1 1 i 1 1 i 1 i 1
ysi
(1 − c  ) (1 − 2c  ) + 1 − 2c 
i 1
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1
(1)

(1 − c  ) ( −2c z t + 2c  z ) + 2c  z t − 2c z t + 4c  z + 6c  z t
1
2 2 2 2 2 3 2 4 4 5 4

=z +
1 1 i 1 1 i 1 i 1 1 i 1 1 i 1 i 1
zsi ,
(1 − c  ) (1 − 2c  ) + 1 − 2c 
i 1
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1
(2)
where, ( i i ) are the coordinates in the reference plane which are known parameters;
z ,y  = zi2 + yi2 ,
is the radial parameter; c1 is the center of curvature of the mirror and is related to the radius of
curvature by c1 = 1 r ; t1 is the mirror vertex distance to the simulated image and is also a known
parameter. When the mirror is comprised by a set of m rings, equations (1) and (2) must consider the
c = 1 rj ,
definition: 1 j with j = 1,2,..., m.
Figure 3 shows the spot diagram generated through equations (1) and (2) considering a conventional
spherical mirror with a diameter of 100 mm and a 1040 mm radius of curvature. The generated image
corresponds to a point source located at infinity. The image generated by this mirror is set up as the
desired image to be reproduced by the designed mirrors comprised of rings (non-segmented and
segmented). The variation in the diameter of the designed mirror is useful for generating the desired
image in its original and smaller size. In the following section, several examples that illustrate the
potential of this methodology are presented.

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Figure 3. Image from a point source generated by a spherical mirror at a distance t1 from the vertex.

3. Design of mirrors.
3.1 Rotational-symmetric mirror.
For the sake of comparison, figure 4a shows the image produced by a spherical mirror with a 100 mm
diameter and a 1040 mm radius of curvature, generated at 1020 mm from the mirror vertex. Figure
4b shows the image from the reference mirror on a 1 to 0.8 scale, and this image is considered to be
the desired image. Figure 4c shows the image generated by the designed mirror with a surface
comprised of a set of 20 spherical concentric rings where the radii of curvature of the rings were
optimized with the aid of the Genetic Algorithms [30, 31].
 Figure 4. a) Image generated by a reference mirror with a 100 mm diameter and a radius of

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curvature of 1040 mm; b) image from the reference mirror on a 1 to 0.8 scale; c) image generated

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by the designed mirror with a surface comprised of a set of 20 rings.

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3.2 Non-rotational symmetric mirror.

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As previously mentioned, a mirror with segmented rings becomes a freeform mirror, and it will
produce non-rotational symmetric images. In these types of designs, the number of variables to be
optimized by the Genetic Algorithms will be increased by a factor equal to the number of segments
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in each ring- This means that the number of variables to be optimized is obtained as the product of
the number of rings by the number of segments.
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Consequently, for the first design, a mirror with a surface comprised of a set of 10 rings with each
ring divided into 36 spherical segments was considered. The first two outer rings were optimized to
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obtain a non-rotational symmetric pattern on the periphery of the generated image. With this, the
optimized number of variables is decreased, meaning that 72 spherical radii of curvature were
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optimized. This is considered a practical design, given that the external energy is concentrated in a
smaller area.
As a part of the optimization stage, a recurrence relation is implemented as it optimizes all of the 72
variables. However, only ten variables were directly optimized with the aid of the genetic algorithms
[30, 31]. That is to say, in order to reduce the number of variables to be optimized from 72 to 10, a
recurrence formula was used to calculate the 72 curvature radius values. The recurrence equation for
the 72 curvature radii is set as

rk +1 = rk + rj , (3)

where rk , with k = 1, ... , 72, are the curvature radii and rj , with j = 1, ... , 10, are the curvature
radius increments. These increments are the variables to be optimized by the Genetic Algorithm and
are defined by the following equation
  m1 if 1  k  7 
 
m if 8  k  14 
rj =  2 . (4)
 
 
 m10 if 64  k  72 

Therefore, (𝑧𝑠𝑖 , 𝑦𝑠𝑖 ) are defined as the coordinates of the Simulated Image (SI) on the image plane,
and are a function of the increments defined by Eq. (4), so that

SI ( zi , yi , m1 , m2 ,..., m10 , ) = ( zsi , ysi ) , (5)

where, as mentioned above, ( zi , yi ) are the coordinates of the reference plane, as stated in the exact
ray tracing method [32].

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Once the coordinates of the desired image ( zdi , ydi ) are determined, then the fitness function S 2 can
be defined as

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N
S 2 =  ( zsi − zdi ) + ( ysi − ydi ) ,
2 2
(6)
i =1
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where N is the number of points considered in the simulation. Then, with the description of the
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coordinates of the simulated image by means of Eq. (5), and the fitness function by means of Eq. (6),
the process of optimization can be initiated.
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Again, figure 5a shows the image generated by a spherical reference mirror with a 100 mm diameter
and a curvature radius of 2040 mm. Figure 5b shows the generated image with non-rotational
symmetry from the designed mirror with a surface comprised of a set of 10 rings, with each ring
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divided into 36 spherical segments and the two outer rings optimized. All the radii of curvature of the
rest of the rings 3 to 10 were considered to be from a spherical mirror with a 100 mm diameter and a
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radius of curvature of 2040 mm. It can also be seen from figure 5b that a spiral pattern is formed due
to the decrease in the radii of curvature among the adjacent segments.
 Figure 5. a) Image generated by a reference mirror with a diameter of 100 mm and a 2040 mm
radius of curvature; b) image generated from the designed mirror comprised of 10 rings, with each
ring divided into 36 spherical segments and the two outer rings optimized.

3.3 Design of circular mirrors for generating images similar to those from a trough-type mirror.
In this case, the design of a mirror with a surface comprised of a set of 10 rings was considered, from
which the first five were divided into 36 segments, while the other five were left unsegmented with a
radius of curvature of 2040 mm. The main purpose of this design was to show that a dish-type or
circular mirror is able to generate a similar image as those generated by a through-type mirror. The
radii of curvature of the segments have a variation in such a way that the size of the generated image
in the vertical direction is, in size, close to one-tenth of the image generated by a reference mirror.
For the sake of comparison, figure 6a shows the generated image from a spherical reference mirror

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with a 100 mm diameter and a 2040 mm radius of curvature. Figure 6b shows the image generated
by the designed freeform mirror that is comprised of a set of segmented concentric rings, and it can
be observed that they tend to be similar to the images produced by a through-type mirror that are

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employed for the concentration of solar energy.

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Figure 6. a) Image generated by a reference mirror with a diameter of 100 mm and a 2040 mm
radius of curvature; b) image generated from the designed mirror comprised of a set of 10 rings,
from which the first outer five are divided into 36 segments.
Figure 7 shows the curvature radii values in function of the number of segments of each ring. Each
curve shows the behavior relating to the radii values of curvature from the first five segmented rings
that were optimized in order to generate the image shown in figure 6b. These curves show that the
tendency of the behavior of the segments from each ring is related to the non-symmetric generated
image, i.e., tendency curves may be proposed to generate different forms of light concentration.
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Figure 7. Curves relating to the radii values of curvature from the first five segmented rings in
function of the number of segments.

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3.4 Designs of mirrors with fixed diameter to generate the desired image sizes as those from
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mirrors with smaller diameters – Segments with a spherical profile.
This section presents mirrors designed with a fixed diameter to generate the desired image sizes
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similar to those produced by spherical mirrors with smaller diameters. It is important to mention that
the abovementioned design was generated by selecting the radii of curvature that conveniently
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generated the corresponding images. That is to say, the optimization method was not applied.
However, the implementation of the process for the proposed method was shown, and the generated
images are now to be considered as desired images to be generated by mirrors with larger diameters
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located at different positions or to generate the scaled images. Consequently, the optimization method
based on genetic algorithms has been applied to the following proposed designs.
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In this following design, the diameter of a spherical mirror is reduced, meaning that its curvature
radius is constant (2040 mm), and therefore, a decrease in longitudinal spherical aberration (LSA) is
apparent. In figure 8, the LSA curves for mirrors with different diameters ranging from 100 mm
(figure 8a), 90 mm (figure 8b), 80 mm (figure 8c), 70 mm (figure 8d), 60 mm (figure 8e), 50 mm
(figure 8f), 40 mm (figure 8g) to 30 mm (figure 8h) are shown, and from which a reduction in LSA
when the mirror’s diameter decreases can be observed.
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Figure 8. Longitudinal spherical aberration curves for mirrors with diameter: a) 100; b) 90; c) 80; d)

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70; e) 60; f) 50; g) 40 and h) 30 mm.

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In the case of the irradiance behavior, as the mirror’s diameter is reduced, the irradiance increases
considering that the average power remains constant, e.g., when the mirror’s diameter is reduced by
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half, the generated image’s irradiance increases by a factor of four. This means that the proposed
designed mirrors from this section tend to concentrate more energy in a smaller area.
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The corresponding spot diagrams of these mirrors, together with the spot diagrams generated by the
designed freeform mirrors with spherical segments and a constant diameter of 100mm, are shown in
figures 9 and 10. In figures 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d are shown the desired images that correspond to the
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mirrors with diameters of 90, 80, 70, and 60 mm respectively. Whilst in figures 10a, 10b, and 10c are
shown the desired images that correspond to the mirrors with diameters of 50, 40 and 30 mm,
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respectively. In each one of these figures are included the corresponding generated image.
The sum of the errors obtained with the aid of genetic algorithms of the generated images from the
designed mirrors with diameters 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40 and 30 mm are 0.4914e-3, 0.2918e-3, 0.3369e-
3, 0.4645e-3, 0.5753e-3, 0.6721e-3 and 0.7128e-3, respectively.
It can also be observed that the size and shape of the reproduced images from the mirrors with
diameters of 60 to 30 mm are considerably different from their corresponding desired images. It is
evident that the proposed design is practical when it comes to the concentration of energy, although
the image’s shape is lost. In order to generate images similar to the desired images, in the following
section, a mirror design with a surface comprised of segmented rings with conic profiles is proposed.
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Figure 9. Comparison of the desired images (left column) with the generated images reproduced by
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the designed mirrors (right column) with segmented rings with spherical profiles. The desired
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images correspond to the mirrors with diameters: a) 90, b) 80, c) 70, and d) 60 mm.
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Figure 10. Comparison of the desired images (left) with the generated images reproduced by the
designed mirrors (right) comprised of segmented rings with spherical profiles. The desired images
correspond to the mirrors with diameters: a) 50, b) 40, and d) 30 mm.
3.5 Designs of mirrors with fixed diameter to generate images from mirrors with smaller
diameters – Segmented rings with a conic profile.
Mirrors comprised of segmented rings with conic profiles are considered, as they are able to reproduce
similar images in shape to the ones generated by the previously designed mirrors with diameters of
60, 50, 40, and 30 mm, respectively.
General ray trace equations for conic surfaces were employed for these designs [33]. In this case, the
optimization method was implemented to the conic constants of each one of the segments, meaning
that the number of variables to be optimized increased. Likewise, the optimal conic constants were
obtained by applying a recurrence relation to reduce the variables to be optimized [30, 31]. Figure 11
shows the images generated by the reference mirrors with 60 and 30 mm in diameter, along with the
images generated by the designed mirrors comprised of segmented rings with conic profiles.

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Figure 11. Images generated by the designed mirrors with a 100 mm diameter with a surface
comprised of a set of segmented rings with conic profiles vs. images from spherical mirrors with a
smaller diameter. a) Left: image to be reproduced, generated by a spherical mirror with a 60 mm
diameter; right: image generated by the designed mirror; b) Left: image to be reproduced, generated
by a spherical mirror with a 30 mm diameter; right: image generated by the designed mirror.
As shown in figure 11 (right column), the images generated with the freeform mirrors comprised of
segmented rings with conic profiles are improved up to a certain reduced diameter. The image
generated by the 30 mm diameter mirror differs considerably from the reference image, although the
energy concentration functionality is evident, with a difference of approximately 20% in size.
It is worth mentioning that there are previous works in the literature which are similar in their design
method to the work presented in this paper. The methodology used in these works is called ASAS
(annularly stitched aspheric surfaces) which consists of a rotationally symmetric optical surface
containing various zones defined by functions of aspheric profiles [34,35]. The smoothness along the
surface is demonstrated through different optimization techniques. To obtain a single ASAS, two
practical methods are described [34], the first of which uses a non-sequential surface (NSS), while
the other uses a user-defined surface (UDS). Optimization with NSS ensures that the different zones
are connected smoothly. The other optimization strategy implements a user-defined stitched asphere
by using the C programming language which later interacts with a commercial optical design

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software, and it facilitates the automatic connection with two different zones. Multiple examples of

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the implementation of this method to optical systems are presented, which include an objective lens
for a BD system and an ultrawide angle catadioptric lens. Both works [34,35] describe the
implementation of the ASAS method for specific applications. The evaluation of the performance of

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the design of both optical systems stated above includes assessments of the Modulation Transfer
Function (MTF), beam synthesis propagation (BSP) analysis, and image acquisition.
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In this work, a method that uses aspheric segmented concentric rings is presented. When
implemented, a desired shape of the spot and a desired spot size can be obtained, and the use of
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segmented rings with an optimized conic surface, using a Genetic Algorithm (GA), facilitates the
design of surfaces that generate a non-symmetric concentration of energy in the image plane.
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Therefore, the performance results were focused on the concentration of energy from mirrors rather
than a frequency analysis. In order to make a comparison between our design method with the
previous works [34,35] and highlight the differences, the following information is presented:
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The optimization process applied to the design of the mirrors designed by a set of segmented rings
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with a conical profile (shown in Fig. 11) consisted of dividing the mirror into 20 rings in order to
generate a more continuous and smoother surface. Of these 20 rings, only the first 18 were segmented
and optimized (as the last two were closest to the center, their optimization for energy concentration
had no practical effect).
Secondly, three rings were optimized consecutively at the same time, with a conic constant computed
with the Genetic Algorithm, assigned to each ring (and consequently assigned to each of the 36
segments into which the ring is divided). For each ring, the GA calculates 10 variables, one for the
calculation of the initial radius of curvature, and the remaining 9 variables for the calculation of nine
increments of the radii of curvature. With these 10 optimized variables the 36 radii of curvature are
calculated for the 36 segments into which the ring is divided.
Therefore, the number of variables optimized by the GA for three rings at once is 33 variables,
meaning that a total of 108 segments and three conic constants are calculated, one for each ring. Once
the first three rings have been optimized, the optimization of the next three rings continues, and this
process continues until all 18 rings have been completed. The total number of optimized segments of
the 18 rings is 648 plus 18 conic constants. As a feature of the developed optimization process, the
sum of squared errors can be decreased slightly if a second iteration is carried out, but there are usually
no further significant changes to the shape and size of the image.
According to the GA sequential optimization process of optimizing three rings at a time, it is possible
to further increase the number of rings into which the surface is divided to ensure a continuous free-
form surface, even with a smooth profile. These aspects were shown in the design of a mirror with
concentric spherical rings [30], in which 100 rings were used to design the surface so that it was as
continuous as possible, as validated by the design of the surface generated by the commercial program
Zemax version EE [30].
Regarding the smoothness of the designed surfaces that generate the spot diagrams shown in Figs.
11(a) and 11(b), Table 1 shows, for example, the initial radii of curvature, the increments in the radii
of curvature and the conic constants calculated by the GA of the designed mirror that generates the
image 11 (b) for the first three rings. These results (with values very similar to those calculated for
rings 4 to 18) show that the difference between the values for the initial radii between adjacent rings
is a maximum difference of a few hundredths of a millimeter.
While the radii of curvature calculated for the increments generate very small differences between

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adjacent segments of thousandths or ten thousandths of a millimeter, this difference in values is due
to the recurrence equation used, as described by Eq. (3). Moreover, regarding the calculated values
of the conic constants, it can be observed in Table 1 that the difference measured in the conic constants

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between the adjacent rings (and consequently between the adjacent radial segments) is between 4 or
5 hundredths. Therefore, it can be concluded that the designed surface presents a good degree of
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continuity and smoothness. In addition, as in any implemented optimization method, in the GA the
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continuity and smoothness of the designed surface can be guaranteed by restricting the search range
of the optimal values in the GA.
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Table 1. Values of the initial radius, curvature radius increments rj , and conic constants computed
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with the Genetic Algorithm for the first three rings to design the spherical mirror with 30 mm in
diameter of Fig. 11(b).
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Parameter Ring 1 Ring 2 Ring 3

Initial radius (mm) -2040.0695 -2040.0680 -2040.0763
r1 ( mm )
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8.6545E-05 -8.2724E-05 -7.6605E-05

r2 ( mm ) -7.5220E-05 3.0093E-05 4.9300E-05
r3 ( mm ) 4.8044E-05 -2.5690E-05 9.2419E-05
r4 ( mm ) -8.9542E-05 -5.0967E-05 9.6765E-05
r5 ( mm ) 9.5480E-05 4.9210E-05 -7.0688E-05
r6 ( mm ) 2.1130E-05 8.4180E-05 4.1269E-05
r7 ( mm ) -4.0387E-05 -8.9740E-05 9.6835E-05
r8 ( mm ) -4.6042E-05 3.8055E-06 6.3351E-05
r9 ( mm ) -5.2240E-05 -3.1115E-05 -8.3072E-05
Conic constant -0.85399 -0.84461 -0.81264

For the manufacture of these designed mirrors, the process that can be applied is the one reported for
the design, manufacture, and validation of polymeric optical components with aspheric profiles for
applications in visual sciences [36]. A high-precision CNC machine was used to manufacture the
aluminum molds used for the obtention of the optical components. With this in mind, this paper
proposes the use of these types of machines focused on this specific application, as it has been shown
that a high-precision CNC machine is able to obtain an aspheric profile with a satisfactory
performance. Several parameters from the machining process have an effect on the smoothness of the
finished profile, and they have to be taken into account for the obtention of these surfaces, e.g., cutting
speed, spindle speed, feed rate, etc. The manufacture and validation of the examples presented in this
work are beyond the reach of our current study. However, the authors recognize that it is an area of
study that could potentially be explored in the near future.
Finally, for the sake of comparison, figure 12a shows the generated image from a mirror with a
parabolic profile of 100 mm in diameter and a paraxial radius of curvature of 2040 mm. the image is
located at a distance of 1020.01 mm from the mirror’s vertex (the Gaussian image is located at
1020.00 mm). In addition, figure 12b shows the image generated by the designed mirror comprised
of segmented rings with conic profiles. The size of the reproduced image is comparable to the one
generated by the parabolic mirror, as can be seen.

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Figure 12. a) Image generated by a parabolic mirror with a diameter of 100 mm and a paraxial
radius of curvature of 2040 mm, located at 1020.01 mm from the mirror’s vertex. b) Image
generated by the designed mirror with a 100 mm diameter, which reproduces the image from a
mirror with a 30 mm diameter.
4. Discussion
As can be appreciated from the examples shown in the previous section, the proposed design
methodology enables the designs of mirrors comprised of concentric segmented rings to reproduce
images of a desirable size or similar to those produced by mirrors with smaller diameters as seen in
section 3.1, where an image which has been reduced in size is presented. However, with this approach,
a more significant concentration of energy is achieved.
On the other hand, this methodology also allows the design of segmented spherical mirrors to
reproduce non-rotational symmetric images, as shown in the examples from sections 3.2 and 3.3.
These features are required in specific applications that employ different types of apertures or a
determined concentration of radiation.
Finally, the examples from sections 3.4 and 3.5 showed that the designed surfaces facilitate the
reduction in size of the image when compared to the images produced by surfaces with smaller
diameters. A reduction in optical aberrations is also implied, and the concentration of radiation is
larger than the methodology carried out by surfaces with a smaller diameter. Therefore, this
methodology can be adapted to the designs of several optical systems with potential applications in
image formation, the concentration of energy, and illumination.
5. Conclusions
A brief review of the most used methods for the design of freeform surfaces found in the literature
was presented along with their advantages. An alternative design methodology is also introduced that
begins with the start design. When the radii of curvature and conic constants are optimized, aspheric
or freeform surfaces are produced from a dish-shaped surface comprised of segmented concentric
rings, producing the desired image sizes and shapes, as shown in the previous sections. However, the
use of aspheric surfaces to produce the desired images with greater intensity is required in a wide

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variety of applications. Furthermore, it was shown that this design method allows the design of
freeform surfaces to produce specific shapes and areas of energy concentration. Through the
adequation of the merit function in the optimization process, the proposed method can be applied to

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the design of illumination, concentration, or imaging systems.
Declarations
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Author contribution statement:
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Jorge González-García, Dr.: Conceived and designed the experiments; Performed the experiments;
Analyzed and interpreted the data; Contributed reagents, materials, analysis tools or data; Wrote the
paper.
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Agustin Santiago-Alvarado, Dr.: Conceived and designed the experiments; Performed the
experiments; Contributed reagents, materials, analysis tools or data.
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Angel Sinue Cruz-Felix, Dr.: Conceived and designed the experiments; Performed the experiments;
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Wrote the paper.

Funding statement:
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or
not-for-profit sectors.
Data availability statement:
Data included in article/supp. material/referenced in article.
Declaration of interest’s statement:
The authors declare no competing interests.

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