Several different types of achromat have been devised. They differ in the shape of the included lens elements as well as in the optical properties of their glass most notably in their optical dispersion.
In the following, 'R' denotes the radius of the spheres that define the optically relevant refracting lens surfaces. By convention, R1 denotes the first lens surface counted from the object. A doublet lens has four surfaces with radii R1 to R4.
an achromatic lens or achromat is a lens that is designed to limit the effects of chromatic and spherical aberration. Achromatic lenses are corrected to bring two wavelengths into focus on the same plane.