title: Calculation of diffraction effects on the average phase of an optical field.
abstract: We report on algorithms for the computation of the average phase of a beam over a detector in the near field. The basic idea is to reconstruct the optical field numerically and then use a quadrature algorithm to evaluate the quantity of interest. The various algorithms that employ discrete Fourier transform techniques for the computation of the field are described, and numerical tests that assess the accuracy of these algorithms are presented. No particular algorithm delivers the desired accuracy over the entire range of Fresnel numbers of interest, but each can produce satisfactory results within a particular range. Finally, new methods to evaluate the average phase are introduced, and their efficiency is assessed.
authors.affiliation: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91109, USA. milto@huey.jpl.nasa.gov
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Papalexandris
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Redding