Validity of the perturbation model for the propagation of MSF structures in 3D

Mid-spatial frequency (MSF) structures on optical surfaces degrade system performance and a perturbation model is typically used to simplify the assessment of their effects. In this simple model, MSF phase structures are dragged along the nominal rays of a system to yield estimates of wavefronts in the exit pupil that may be used for further analysis. However, the validity of the perturbation model remains an open area of study. We extend our previous assessment of the validity of this model [K. Liang, Opt. Express 27, 3390-3408 (2019)] that was focused on the analysis of single-frequency MSF structures in two dimensions to now include error estimates for broad-spectra MSF structures in three dimensions.