Model of wide-angle optical field propagation using scalar diffraction theory

Jannick Rolland, MEMBER SPIE University of Central Florida School of Optics Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers Florida Photonics Center of Excellence Institute for Simulation and Training Orlando, Florida 32816 Abstract. A generalized nonparaxial theoretical framework based on the scalar diffraction theory is developed to describe the propagation of an optical field through a linear optical system with quasi-monochromatic spatially incoherent illumination. Software implementation of this theoretical framework on single and multiple processor platforms was developed and simulated results of the imaging process through optical aberration-corrected optics are presented for both in-focus and out-offocus imaging, validating the first-order nonparaxial model. © 2004 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [DOI: 10.1117/1.1751401]