Abstract
A new procedure for the tracing of rays in inhomogeneous media is described. The method is based on a polynomial solution of the differential equation for ray paths. The index of refraction is expressed in a polynomial in the optical-axis-direction coordinate and in the coordinate in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis. The technique is incorporated into a lens-design program to provide optimization of gradient indices. The results of the methods have been verified in two other ways.

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