Paraxial properties of three-element zoom system for laser beam expanders based on tunable-focus lenses

The paper is focused on the problem of a theoretical analysis of paraxial imaging properties and initial optical design of the three-element zoom optical system for laser beam expanders using lenses with a tunable focal length. Equations which allow calculation of required optical powers of individual elements of the three-element zoom optical system for laser beam expander depending on the value of the axial position of the beam waist of the input Gaussian beam and the required magnification of the system are derived. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America