Veiling glare due to multiple reflections between surfaces

Abstract

The intensity of the veiling glare due to multiple reflections between optical surfaces of an optical instrument was determined using a ray trace method. It is shown that the increase in the ratio veiling glare to real image intensity for decreasing apertures is due mainly to the difference in the entrance pupils of the main and reflected beams, and not to the increase in diffraction; also that the internal reflection within a lens causes significant contributions to the veiling glare for bright off-axis objects which are out of the normal field of view. The veiling glare intensity patterns are shown for an on-axis object for a Cook triplet using various apertures.