Abstract

The main features of eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of integral equations connected with incoherent imaging through clear pupils are studied. As in the coherent imaging, both the object and the image can be expanded in eigenfunction series. On the contrary, the eigenvalue-step-function behavior typical of coherent imaging is not preserved when passing to the incoherent case. Upper and lower bounds for the eigenvalues are established in the one-dimensional case. They show that the eigenvalues, roughly speaking, decrease almost linearly with respect to the order index.

© 1974 Optical Society of America

Degrees of freedom, and eigenfunctions, for the noisy image

M. Bendinelli, A. Consortini, L. Ronchi, and B. Roy Frieden
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 64(11) 1498-1502 (1974)

Degrees of freedom of images from point-like-element pupils

F. Gori and G. Guattari
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 64(4) 453-458 (1974)

Integral equation for a 90° or a quasi-90° roof-mirror optical resonator

F. Pasqualetti and L. Ronchi
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 64(3) 289-294 (1974)

Modal Decomposition of Aperture Fields in Detection and Estimation of Incoherent Objects*

Carl W. Helstrom
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 60(4) 521-530 (1970)

Maximum-likelihood restoration of nonstationary imagery

Martin J. Lahart
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 64(1) 17-22 (1974)