Aberrations of a slightly inclined Gaussian beam in a symmetric optical system

We discuss the Seidel-type aberrations which degrade the quality of the Gaussian beam, while the beam axis is slightly inclined to the axis of an optical system. First we examine the evolution of a complex-source-point spherical wave through multiple spherical boundaries. Then we find a ray-optical solution for the diffracted beam that can be represented as a function of Seidel-type aberrations. We also formulate the characteristic parameters of the aberrated beam. If the beam axis is placed at the yz plane, the x component of beam quality factor is degraded by both spherical aberration and field curvature, and the difference in the x and y components of beam quality factor is caused by linear coma, linear astigmatism, and distortion. The fourth order theory of propagation of the Gaussian beam presented here may be applied to determine the parameters of a slightly inclined Gaussian in a symmetric optical system.