Diaphragm

Optical diaphragm properties

Since R2026a

Description

Add-On Required: This feature requires the Optical Design and Simulation Library for Image Processing Toolbox add-on.

A Diaphragm object specifies the properties of a diaphragm in an optical system, such as its shape, position, and angular orientation. Add a diaphragm to an optical system using the addDiaphragm object function, which creates a Diaphragm object.

Creation

There are two ways to create a Diaphragm object.

• Use the addDiaphragm object function when you want to add a diaphragm as the next component to an optical system in a single command. You can specify its properties, such as surface shape and spatial position, using name-value arguments.

• Use the optics.component.Diaphragm function described here. Use this function when you want to create a diaphragm without adding it to the optical system, or modify the properties of a diaphragm already in the system. After creating the object, you can specify the diaphragm properties by modifying the properties of the object.

Syntax

diaphragm = optics.component.Diaphragm

diaphragm = optics.component.Diaphragm(PropertyName=Value)

Description

diaphragm = optics.component.Diaphragm creates a Diaphragm object with default properties.

diaphragm = optics.component.Diaphragm(PropertyName=Value) sets writeable properties using one or more name-value arguments.

Example: optics.component.Diaphragm(Position=[2 0 4]) creates a Diaphragm object representing a diaphragm at a position [2 0 4].

Properties

Name — Name of diaphragm

[] (default) | scalar | character vector

Name of the diaphragm, specified as a scalar or character vector.

Shape — Shape of diaphragm surface

Circular object (default) | Rectangular object

Shape of the diaphragm surface, specified as one of these options.

• Circular object — Circular surface shape.

• Rectangular object — Rectangular surface shape.

By default, the shape of the diaphragm surface is circular, with a semi-diameter of 1.

Position — Position of diaphragm

[0 0 0] (default) | 3-element row vector

Position of the diaphragm, specified as a 3-element row vector. The vector is in the form [x y z], where each element is the optical system x-, y-, and z-coordinate.

To learn more about optical coordinate systems, see Coordinate Systems in Optical Design.

TiltAngles — Tilt angles of diaphragm

[0 0 0] (default) | 3-element row vector

Tilt angles of the diaphragm, specified as a 3-element row vector. The vector is in the form [$${\theta }_x$$ $${\theta }_y$$ $${\theta }_z$$], where $${\theta }_x$$, $${\theta }_y$$, and $${\theta }_z$$ are tilt angles with respect to the optical system x, y, and z-axes, respectively.

To learn more about optical coordinate systems, see Coordinate Systems in Optical Design.

Note

The TiltAngles property represents Euler angles. If you specify angles that are multiples of 90 degrees, visually verify the orientation of the optical system. Gimbal lock can occur, in which two of the three rotational axes become aligned. This alignment results in the loss of one degree of freedom, and can lead to ambiguous or unintended orientations.

Version History

Introduced in R2026a