Fractional Fourier Optics
Date
1995-04
Authors
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Supervisor
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Instructor
Source Title
Journal of the Optical Society of America A
Print ISSN
1084-7529
Electronic ISSN
Publisher
Optical Society of America
Volume
12
Issue
4
Pages
743 - 751
Language
English
Type
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
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Abstract
There exists a fractional Fourier-transform relation between the amplitude distributions of light on two spherical surfaces of given radii and separation. The propagation of light can be viewed as a process of continual fractional Fourier transformation. As light propagates, its amplitude distribution evolves through fractional transforms of increasing order. This result allows us to pose the fractional Fourier transform as a tool for analyzing and describing optical systems composed of an arbitrary sequence of thin lenses and sections of free space and to arrive at a general class of fractional Fourier-transforming systems with variable input and output scale factors.