Vidal F. Canales

Design of superresolving continuous phase filters.

We present a procedure for designing to control the three-dimensional light-intensity distribution near focus. Our method is based on the use of a series of figures of merit that are properly defined to describe the effect of general complex pupil functions. As a practical implementation, we have applied our method to obtain super resolving continuous smoothly varying phase-only filters. The advantages of these kinds of filters are that they do not produce energy absorption and they are easy to build with a phase-controlling device such as a deformable mirror. Results of comparisons between the performance of our method and that of other phase-filter designs are provided.

Generalized Fried parameter after adaptive optics partial wave-front compensation

Atmospheric turbulence imposes the resolution limit attainable by large ground-based telescopes. This limit is lambda/r(0), where r(0) is the Fried parameter or seeing cell size. Working in the visible, adaptive optics systems can partially compensate for turbulence-induced distortions. By analogy with the Fried parameter, r(0), we have introduced a generalized Fried parameter, rho(0), that plays the same role as r(0) but in partial compensation. Using this parameter and the residual phase variance, we have described the phase structure function, estimated the point-spread function halo size, and derived an expression for the Strehl ratio as a function of the degree of compensation. Finally, it is shown that rho(0) represents the diameter of the coherent cells in the pupil domain.

Transverse or axial superresolution in a 4Pi-confocal microscope by phase-only filters

A novel procedure to design axial and transverse superresolving pupil filters for the 4Pi-confocal microscope is presented. The method is based on the use of a series of figures of merit developed to describe the effect of inserting two identical filters in the two arms of the illumination path of the microscope. As a practical implementation, we have applied our method to obtain superresolving continuous phase-only filters. Different resolution-improving phase functions are shown for the transverse and the axial direction. These filters provided axial gain up to 1.3 and transverse gain up to 1.4 without an increase in sidelobes.

Superresolution in compensated telescopes

We present a procedure for attaining resolution beyond the diffraction limit in ground-based telescopes. This procedure is based on the use of rotationally symmetric pupil plane filters that can be easily implemented in dynamic optical devices such as a deformable mirror of an adaptive-optics system. We show that a successful application of the technique requires partial compensation for atmospheric distortion by adaptive optics. Consequently, we derive the required level of compensation as a function of the atmospheric conditions. Finally, our results are checked using simulated data.

Statistical description of wave-front aberration in the human eye

The wave aberration of the human eye has been measured by means of a Hartmann-Shack wave-front sensor in a population of normal subjects. The set of data has been used to compute the phase distribution, the power spectrum, and the structure function for the average eye to analyze the statistics of the ocular aberration considered as a phase screen. The observed statistics fits the classical Kolmogorov model of a statistically homogeneous medium. These results can be of use in understanding the average effect of aberrations on the retinal image and can serve as a tool to analyze the consequences of ocular-aberration compensation by adaptive optics, customized ophtalmic elements, or refractive surgery.

Pupil filter design by using a Bessel functions basis at the image plane

Many applications can benefit from the use of pupil filters for controlling the light intensity distribution near the focus of an optical system. Most of the design methods for such filters are based on a second-order expansion of the Point Spread Function (PSF). Here, we present a new procedure for designing radially-symmetric pupil filters. It is more precise than previous procedures as it considers the exact expression of the PSF, expanded as a function of first-order Bessel functions. Furthermore, this new method presents other advantages: the height of the side lobes can be easily controlled, it allows the design of amplitude-only, phase-only or hybrid filters, and the coefficients of the PSF expansion can be directly related to filter parameters. Finally, our procedure allows the design of filters with very different behaviours and optimal performance.

Rician distribution to describe speckle statistics in adaptive optics

Adaptive optics systems allow us to retrieve high-spatial-frequency information that is preserved in the wave fronts distorted by the atmosphere. Although wave-front correction should be as complete as possible, only partial compensation is attainable in the visible. We provide a procedure that uses the Rician distribution to predict the intensity statistics of the light at the image center as a function of the number of corrected Zernike polynomials.

Analysis of the signal-to-noise ratio in the optical differentiation wavefront sensor

High resolution wavefront sensors are devices with a great practical interest since they are becoming a key part in an increasing number of applications like extreme Adaptive Optics. We describe the optical differentiation wavefront sensor, consisting of an amplitude mask placed at the intermediate focal plane of a 4-f setup. This sensor offers the advantages of high resolution and adjustable dynamic range. Furthermore, it can work with polychromatic light sources. In this paper we show that, even in adverse low-light-level conditions, its SNR compares quite well to that corresponding to the Hartmann-Shack sensor.

Speckle statistics in partially corrected wave fronts.

Wave fronts distorted by the atmosphere preserve high-spatial-frequency information. This information can be retrieved by use of adaptive optics systems to correct the incoming wave front. This correction should be as nearly complete as possible. In experiments performed in the visible, only partial compensation is attainable. We provide a theoretical model to predict the intensity statistics of the light in the image center as a function of the number of Zernike polynomials corrected.

Visual axial PSF of diffractive trifocal lenses

The ophthalmic applications of a diffractive trifocal lens design with adjustable add powers and light distribution in the foci are investigated. Axial PSFs of the trifocal lenses are calculated and analyzed as a function of the design parameters and the eye pupil size. The optical performance in actual eyes is also simulated by including the measured ocular wave aberration functions of human eyes in the calculation of transverse and axial PSFs, and Strehl ratio axial variation. The effect of the polychromatic character of natural light has also been considered. The calculus and simulation method of this paper can be applied for the design and analysis of any other kind of diffractive or refractive multifocal contact or intraocular lens.