Image quality and detection toolkit for space optics

Challenge

The client needed a repeatable way to judge candidate lens designs for space imaging and dim-object detection. Standard lens metrics do not say whether the sensor will detect a faint target against its own noise. Results had to be traceable and checked against independent references.

Approach

We wrote a custom extension for OpticStudio that computes MTF and PSF, then applies a full radiometric noise budget, detection probability and false-alarm rate, limiting magnitude, and standard space-imaging metrics. A second phase added point source transmittance for off-axis glare. Every formula runs through an automated self-test with independent library cross-checks.

Result

Each lens gets one report with a clear detect, marginal, or miss verdict and every assumption labeled. The client used it to improve validation of lens designs against its existing tooling.

Key figures

• 30+

  automated validation gates

• 10

  reference optical systems in the validation set