Abstract

Extended depth of field (DOF) and enhanced resolution of the imaging systems have always been challenging research problem in optics, especially under low light illumination. One of the commonly adapted approaches is to reduce the numerical aperture of the diaphragm to enhance the depth of field of the diffraction limited imaging system. However, this conventional technique is accompanied by the diminished total light throughput. Therefore, an alternative approach is required to address the said issue. Polarization coded apertures (PCA) have the potential to extend the DOF of respective imaging system with minimal intensity loss. Chi et al.theoretically proposed the concept of PCAs and showed the extended DOF with PCAs using point spread function (PSF) of the system [1]. The PCAs were designed by encoding orthogonal states of polarization (SOP) to the conventional annular aperture.

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