Geometrical-physical optics modeling and inverse design for coherent optical field control with freeform elements

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Computational Physics
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Coherent optical field propagation in freeform systems is complex.
• Existing models often struggle with computational efficiency for inverse design.
• Bridging geometrical and physical optics is crucial for advanced optical design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a unified geometrical-physical optics framework.
• To establish an asymptotic connection between wave-optics and ray-based modeling.
• To enable efficient inverse design for coherent beam shaping in freeform optics.

Main Methods:

• Interpreting geometrical optics as the stationary phase approximation (SPA) of physical optics.
• Utilizing a pointwise Fourier transform formulation for domain mapping.
• Developing a geometrical-physical optics phase retrieval algorithm based on the iterative Fourier transform algorithm.

Main Results:

• The framework effectively approximates coherent optical field propagation.
• Successful application to inverse design of freeform elements for coherent beam shaping.
• Demonstrated computational efficiency for freeform optical design.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework offers a computationally efficient method for coherent freeform optical design.
• This approach facilitates advanced coherent beam shaping and wavefront engineering.
• The geometrical-physical optics framework provides a valuable tool for optical system development.