Many practical approaches have been developed for computing the point spread function (PSF) of imaging systems and the subject has been extensively studied for many years, since this has been a classical topic in optics. In recent times, the exact numerical calculation of the diffraction integrals and, hence, of the PSF of image forming systems has been successfully addressed. These methods are based on the determination of the critical points and the semi-periodic zones of the integrand on the plane of the aperture, followed by the summation for each of the zones. In the present work we address a comparison between an approximate calculation method based on the classical approach and the cited exact numerical procedures, mainly regarding the required computational effort involved.

Date Published: 14 October 2004
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 5523, Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering V, (14 October 2004); doi: 10.1117/12.560563

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 5523:
Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering V
Pantazis Z. Mouroulis; Warren J. Smith; R. Barry Johnson, Editor(s)