Fourier Optics

• Provides a description of the propagation of light based on an

harmonic analysis

• It is in essence a signal processing description of light propagation

• Generally Fourier transform is of the form (time-frequency)

• Or (space-spatial frequency)

P. Piot, PHYS 630 – Fall 2008

 Propagation of light through a system
• We now deal with spatial frequency Fourier transforms and introduce
the two-dimensional Fourier transform [associated to (x,y) plane]

Fourier transform
• The Fourier Optics allows easy description of a linear system

space

Fourier G(" x ," y )

P. Piot, PHYS 630 – Fall 2008

!
 Plane wave
• Consider the plane wave

y
• This is a wave propagating with angle
k
z
θy
• At z=0
x θx

• since Spatial harmonic

with freq. νx, νy

Wave period in x,y

directions
P. Piot, PHYS 630 – Fall 2008
 Plane wave
• In the paraxial approximation we have

• The inclinations of the wave vector is directly proportional to the

spatial frequencies

• There is a one-to-one between and the harmonic

• If is given then

• If is given then

P. Piot, PHYS 630 – Fall 2008

 Propagation through an harmonic element
• Consider a thin optical element with transmittance

λ
• The wave is modulated by an
harmonic and thus

• So the incident wave can be converted

into a wave propagating with angle

P. Piot, PHYS 630 – Fall 2008

 Propagation through a thin element
• Consider a thin optical element with transmittance

• Then

λ
• Plane waves are going to be λ
dispersed along the direction
define by the spatial frequency
contents of the element

P. Piot, PHYS 630 – Fall 2008

 amplitude modulation
• Consider a thin optical element with transmittance

• 1st term deflects wave at angles

• Fourier transform of f(x,y)

• So system deflects incoming wave at

P. Piot, PHYS 630 – Fall 2008

 phase modulation
• Consider a thin optical element with transmittance

Slowly varying function

of x and y

• Can Taylor-expand the argument around

• So f(x,y) proportional to

• This element introduced a position dependent deflection

P. Piot, PHYS 630 – Fall 2008

 Transfer function of the free space
• An interesting properties is the determinant of the covariance matrix:

0 d z

• So the transfer function

is given by

where

P. Piot, PHYS 630 – Fall 2008

 Transfer function of the free space II
modulus argument

λ/(2d2)

λνρ λνρ
• Transfer function modulus is unity for λνρ<1 bandwidth of propagation in free
space is 1/λ

• The module decreases for larger νρ (this correspond to evanescent waves --

waves that do not propagate)
" # $ " x2 + " y2

P. Piot, PHYS 630 – Fall 2008

 Fresnel approximation
• Assume then

• So the transfer function takes the form

This is the Fresnel

• This is valid if approximation
Maximum aperture
• Introducing the condition
becomes

P. Piot, PHYS 630 – Fall 2008

 Impulsional response
• Given the transfer function, the impulsional response can be
computed

• So each point in the input plane generates a paraboloidal wave and

we also have

• Which is consistent with Huygens-Fresnel principle

P. Piot, PHYS 630 – Fall 2008