Digital Optics Tool for Multi-Purpose Experimental Applications

Abstract

This work presents the results concerning the application of a Discrete Fresnel Transform algorithm (DFT), which was upgraded for modeling and experimenting with scalar diffraction fields, whose characteristics are analyzed. The MATLAB (R) software environment was used to implement this algorithm, which allows the user to set the initial conditions, corresponding to the optical information at the input plane, by using a graphic friendly user interface (GUI). Then, by using the DFT algorithm, light propagation from the input to the output plane is achieved. The outputs of the algorithm are the maps corresponding to the 2-D distributions amplitude and phase-modulo 2 pi, or equivalently, the corresponding real and imaginary parts of the complex analytical field. Also, to assist the analysis, line profiles for these maps are provided. Results allow the user synthesizing Fresnel diffraction in presence of multiple components, like lenses, prisms, diffractive gratings, and holographic elements. Indeed, by implementing a series of successive steps, applications like image forming and spatial filtering can be demonstrated. The basis of the algorithm's architecture and some typical results, which closely resemble those from the experiments, are presented.