Abstract

We investigate the problem of obtaining minimum-bias high-resolution spectral estimators with a coherent optical system. Circular symmetry and isotropic statistics are assumed. We consider the class of spectral smoothing windows W(ρ) > 0 and derive a window function that ensures both minimum-bias and high-resolution spectral estimation. The effect of aberrations, as summarized by the optical transfer function of the system, on the spectral estimate is also considered. In the general case it is shown that minimum-bias, direct frequency-plane smoothing is not physically realizable.

© 1975 Optical Society of America

Smoothing of irradiance spectra with finite-bandwidth windows, with application to particle-size analysis

H. Stark, D. Lee, and B. Dimitriadis
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 65(12) 1436-1442 (1975)

Errata: Minimum-bias spectral estimation with a coherent optical spectrum analyzer

H. Stark and B. Dimitriadis
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 65(8) 973-973 (1975)

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Victor Twersky
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