TABLE OF CONTENTS Glenn D. Boreman
The Center for Research and
Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL)
University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida
| B | spot full width |
| CTF | contrast transfer function (square wave response) |
| | edge response |
| FN | focal ratio |
| F( ?, ?) | Fourier transform of (x, y) |
| (x, y) | object function |
| G( ?, ?) | Fourier transform of g(x, y) |
| g(x, y) | image function |
| H( ?, ?) | Fourier transform of h(x, y) |
| h(x, y) | impulse response |
| ?(x) | line response |
| S( ?, ?) | power spectrum |
| W | detector dimension |
| ?(x) | delta function |
| ?( ?, ?) | phase transfer function |
| ** | two-dimensional convolution |
Transfer functions are a powerful tool for analyzing optical and electro-optical systems. The interpretation of objects and images in the frequency domain makes available the whole range of linear-systems analysis techniques. This approach can facilitate insight, particularly in the treatment of complex optical problems. For example, when several optical subsystems are combined, the overall transfer function is the multiplication of the individual transfer functions. The corresponding analysis, without the use of transfer functions, requires convolution of the corresponding impulse responses.
The image quality of an optical or electro-optical system can be characterized by either the system s impulse response or its Fourier transform, the transfer function. The impulse response h(x, y) is the two-dimensional image formed in response to a...
