Class of basis functions for use in optical systems analysis
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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

The Generation of Higher-order Laguerre-Gauss Optical Beams for High-precision Interferometry
Published on: August 12, 2013
Lee Estes1, Adam Jilling, Gabriel Lombardi
1Naval Undersea Warfare Center Dicision, Newport, Rhode Island 02841, USA. EstesLE@npt.nuwc.navy.mil
Abstract:
A method is described for modeling the effects of spatial apertures on optical sensor systems. The method consists of defining a set of basis functions that is obtained by partitioning the aperture image plane into a series of rectangular regions and replacing the field in each rectangular subregion with an orthogonal function series approximation. Each orthogonal function has a finite extent that is matched to the aperture image. The individual functions are propagated by application of the Fresnel approximation of the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction formula to other ranges, and the resultant functions are shown to be valid basis functions for defining a field at any other range. The technique is applied to a scattering problem using complex Fourier series.
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