Reflective dual field-of-view optical system based on the Alvarez principle

A novel, to the best of our knowledge, dual-state reflective optical relay system based on the Alvarez system is proposed, which can be used for remote sensing applications. By keeping the image and pupil positions constant, it can be combined with a telescope to achieve two different magnifications. As a compact structure with only two moving parts, freeform optical mirrors and a nearly diffraction limited performance for the infrared wavelength 8 µm make it an attractive subsystem for space applications. Different design tradeoffs and the preferred layout properties are discussed in detail.