We analyze the spherical aberration of a new generation of lenses made of flat electrically thin inhomogeneous media. For such lenses, spherical aberration is analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively, and comparison is made to the classical gradient index rod. Both flat thin and thick lenses are made of gradient index materials, but the physical mechanisms and design equations are different. Using full-wave three-dimensional numerical simulation, we evaluate the spherical aberrations using the Marechal criterion and show that the thin lens gives significantly better performance than the thick lens (rod). Additionally, based on ray tracing formulation, third-order analysis for longitudinal aberration and optical path difference are presented, showing strong overall performance of thin lenses in comparison to classical rod lenses. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America
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