Paraxial theory for birefringent lenses

The generalized ray tracing for the extraordinary ray through uniaxial crystals developed by Avendano-Alejo and Stavroudis [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 19, 1674 (2002)] has been applied to derive paraxial refracting equations. Paraxial equations are derived for three cases where the incident, ordinary, and extraordinary rays lie in the incident plane: (a) the crystal axis is parallel to the optical axis, (b) the crystal axis is orthogonal to the optical axis and lies in the plane of incidence, and (c) the crystal axis is orthogonal to both the optical axis and the incident plane. The paraxial ray-tracing equations for the extraordinary ray are represented by matrix operators. The elements of the matrix system give all the information of the focal points and of the principal points. Gaussian formulas are derived, and some examples are presented. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America.