The modulation transfer function (MTF) in lens systems can be simulated using rendering. Here, the MTF is obtained by rendering test charts with bar target patterns after they are passed through an optical imaging system. The benefit of this method is that it can be applied to shift-variant systems, to which it is difficult to apply the point spread function (PSF), and that it enables the comparison of theoretical results to experimental results when test charts are imaged through an optical imaging system. However, the number of sampled rays must be increased to suppress the variance in the resulting radiance distribution, and the computation time increases proportionally with the number of analyzed spatial frequencies. This report proposes the recording of the light field of light rays, which is a function describing light rays at the entrance pupil. Focused images are compiled for each test chart based on the recorded light field. The time necessary for compilation is significantly shorter than for ray tracing in a lens; therefore, the radiance distribution can be rapidly obtained when the spatial frequency is changed. The methodology to record the light field and the data format are outlined in this report.

Date Published: 25 September 2013
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 8841, Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering XIV, 884118 (25 September 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2023580

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8841:
Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering XIV
R. Barry Johnson; Virendra N. Mahajan; Simon Thibault, Editor(s)