Discrete diffraction transform for propagation, reconstruction, and design of wavefield distributions

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Computational Physics
• Wave Propagation Modeling

Background:

• Wavefield propagation is fundamental in optics and photonics.
• Discretization of wave propagation models often introduces aliasing and errors.
• Spatial light modulators (SLMs) present unique challenges due to pixelwise invariant distributions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel, aliasing-free discrete wavefield propagation model.
• To develop precise reconstruction algorithms for wavefield distributions.
• To demonstrate the efficiency of these algorithms in relevant optical systems.

Main Methods:

• Development of a discrete diffraction transform (DDT) for aliasing-free wavefield propagation.
• Accurate calculation of the diffraction integral for pixelwise invariant distributions.
• Design of frequency domain regularized inverse algorithms for object wavefield reconstruction.

Main Results:

• The DDT model provides precise wavefield propagation without discretization effects for invariant distributions.
• Developed frequency domain algorithms effectively reconstruct object wavefields from sensor plane data.
• Simulations confirm the efficiency of the proposed reconstruction algorithms.

Conclusions:

• The discrete diffraction transform offers an accurate and aliasing-free approach to wavefield propagation.
• Frequency domain inverse algorithms are efficient for reconstructing wavefields in systems like SLMs.
• This work advances computational methods for optical wave propagation and imaging.