Hybrid meta-optics facilitate an athermal continuous zoom optical system

To meet the demand for continuous zoom capabilities in compact lenses over a wide temperature range, we designed a compact continuous zoom optical system based on hybrid meta-optics. This system can achieve thermal stability without additional heating or cooling across a broad temperature range, utilizing commonly available optical glass. It features a total length of just 9∼12 mm and comprises only 4 lenses. By incorporating metalens, the system effectively corrects chromatic aberration and off-axis distortion, while leveraging the thermal stability of these lenses to achieve passive thermal management. Analytical results demonstrate that the system is structurally compact, capable of smooth continuous zooming from -20∼+60 ℃ with a focal length range of 4.9∼9.8 mm, and maintains excellent imaging quality throughout (with a modulation transfer function greater than 0.5 at 100 lp/mm). Additionally, the zoom and tolerances are highly feasible.