A charged particle optical system, e.g. an energy or mass analyzer or a lens system, has a plurality of corrector electrodes (20 to 23) spaced apart across a particle beam passing from a monoenergetic source (4) to a focus (6) and dividing the beam into individual portions with central trajectories (30,31,32) the connector electrodes being electrically biassed to deflect the particles of the beam so as to reduce the aberration caused by portions with central trajectories intersecting the optical axis at different distances from the desired focus.