Lenses have an effect known as spherical aberration. This means that pieces of equipment that use these lenses, from telescopes to photo cameras, have to use several layers of these lenses to make up for this effect that alters the perception of the image. In 1949, Wasserman Wolf presented a theoretical problem for the design of lenses free from spherical aberration. Rafael Gonzalez, a graduate student from the Tecnológico de Monterrey, was the first to solve the theoretical problem. He has spent the last three months at Yachay Tech University, working with faculty and students of the School of Physical Sciences and Nanotechnology to begin the application of this theoretical model that he solved. Julio Chacon, PhD, coordinator of the Nanotechnology Department of the same School, has worked with Rafael to pursue this goal.

Rafael Gonzalez has worked on this problem since he began his doctoral thesis. He hopes that by solving this problem, he can help to develop the design and geometry of a lens free from spherical aberration. During his stay at Yachay Tech, Rafael created a collaboration alliance for the development of the applications of his theoretical research. In this sense, the project has already caught the interest of the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Yachay Tech University and the Centro de Investigaciones en Óptica, in Mexico.

Yachay Tech University’s role in this research project is played by Professor Julio Chacon and student Jair Aguirre, who will be traveling to Mexico to continue developing the applications. The work will be done at the laboratories of the Centro de Investigaciones en Óptica, which has the most suitable equipment for this type of technological development. The group of researchers hopes their lenses are useful for any application (cameras, microscopes, telescopes, ophthalmological lenses, among others).

Julio Chacon claims that the School is looking to give his research projects an industrial and technological development application to benefit Ecuador. One of the goals and missions of the Nanotechnology Department of his School is to begin producing technology in Urcuqui. For this reason, by using the model that Rafael Gonzalez developed at the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Yachay Tech will contribute to the design of a new type of lens, in a much simpler and cheaper way than those currently manufactured.